The acquisition of Neurona will put UCB in both the epilepsy and cell therapy space, even as many of its fellow pharmas move away from the latter modality.
UCB is fronting $650 million to absorb California-based Neurona Therapeutics to deepen its epilepsy portfolio and expand into regenerative medicine.
As part of the acquisition agreement, announced Friday afternoon, UCB will also put up to $500 million on the line in milestone payments. The companies expect to consummate the transaction by the end of the second quarter, pending all necessary clearances.
The buyout’s centerpiece is NRTX-1001, an investigational cell therapy undergoing Phase 1/2 development for drug-resistant unilateral and bilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). The medicine is meant to be a single-dose treatment, administered directly into the brain via a minimally invasive procedure, that delivers cells that produce the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid.
This mechanism could rebalance overall neural networks in patients with epilepsy and potentially reduce the frequency of seizures, UCB said on Friday. Initial Phase 1/2 data presented in December showed that the cell therapy resulted in an up to 89% median reduction in debilitating seizures seven to 12 months after administration. The study has a primary completion date of June 2027.
“For more than 30 years, UCB has helped shape the modern epilepsy landscape,” UCB CEO Jean-Christophe Tellier said in a prepared statement on Friday. “Bringing NRTX‑1001 into our portfolio allows us to extend that legacy into the era of regenerative medicine.”
The asset, Tellier continued, “has the potential to provide durable targeted repair of the nervous system.”
Friday’s acquisition agreement falls in line with UCB’s strategy to lean into its epilepsy expertise. In January 2022, the company bet up to $1.9 billion to swallow Zogenix and its serotonergic drug Fintepla, indicated for seizures in patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
In 2025, Fintepla made €427 million (around $501 million) worldwide in net sales, a 30% year-on-year increase. UCB’s epilepsy portfolio is led by Briviact, which last year grew 14% to earn €758 million (approximately $890 million).
The Neurona acquisition also signals UCB’s belief in the cell therapy modality despite some recent high-profile exits. In October 2025, for instance, Takeda announced that it would no longer invest in cell therapies, and Novo Nordisk followed just days later.
Several companies have since reaffirmed their commitment to the cell therapy space, including Oryon Cell Therapies and Stylus Medicine. The space is led by Gilead, which just this year has pumped billions into its cell capacities with the acquisition of CAR T partner Arcellx for $7.8 billion.
