AbbVie Acquires Celsius Therapeutics

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AbbVie announced that it has acquired Celsius Therapeutics.¹ This will add Celsius’ first-in-class therapeutic CEL383, an anti-TREM1 antibody used for the treatment of IBD. Prior to the acquisition, Celsius was a privately held biotech company.

AbbVie acquired all outstanding Celsius equity for $250 million in cash. The deal is still custom to certain customary adjustments.

In a press release, AbbVie’s vice president and global head of immunology clinical development Kori Wallace, MD, PhD, said, “Given the potential relevance of TREM1 as a key driver of inflammation and pathology in IBD and other conditions, we are eager to advance the development of CEL383 with a goal of helping more patients with IBD achieve remission.”

In the same press release, Celsius’ CEO Tariq Kassum, MD, said, “AbbVie shares our excitement about the potential of TREM1 inhibition for patients with inflammatory disease. I'd like to thank the Celsius team for their relentless efforts in the discovery of CEL383. We look forward to the further development of this promising program, which we hope will offer a new approach to the treatment of IBD."

AbbVie also recently announced that Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company, is debuting Alle Payment Plans, which is powered Cherry, a payment plan platform.² This will allow patients to pay over time for aesthetic treatments and products.

In a press release, Alle’s senior vice president of U.S. Aesthetics Jasson Gilmore said, “We are excited to debut flexible payment plans within Allē at no cost to aesthetic practices for Allergan Aesthetics treatments and products, increasing the accessibility and affordability of aesthetic treatments for patients and supporting providers to welcome new patients. Over the last several years, pay over-time solutions have grown to become a preferred method of payment for millions of Americans from cell phones to clothing. Allē Payment Plans help patients pursue the recommended treatments they want, on terms that work for them."

In the same press release, Cherry’s COO Sean Schroeder said, “We are thrilled to partner with Allergan Aesthetics, the market leader, given their industry defining products and their success with Allē, the country's leading aesthetics loyalty rewards platform. With Cherry's years of experience in patient financing, and Allē's leadership in aesthetics rewards, this combined offering will support practices in helping make aesthetics treatments more accessible for all."

AbbVie also recently announced that FDA had granted its second approval to EPKINLY to treat patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.³

In a press release, AbbVie’s vice president of therapeutics area head for hematology Mariana Cota Stirner, MD, PhD, said, “The FDA approval of EPKINLY offers a new treatment option for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, particularly following failure of other therapies. EPKINLY treatment has shown deep and durable responses for many patients. Subcutaneous dosing offers convenience, and EPKINLY can be given to patients without mandatory hospitalization using a 3-step-up dosing regimen. We believe that EPKINLY has the potential to be a core therapy in the treatment of multiple B-cell malignancies and furthers our company mission to advance research to raise standards of care for patients with cancer."

Source

1. AbbVie Acquires Celsius Therapeutics. AbbVie. June 27, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abbvie-acquires-celsius-therapeutics-302184570.html
2. Introducing Allē Payment Plans, Powered by Cherry. AbbVie. June 27, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-all-payment-plans-powered-by-cherry-302183902.html
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Grants Second Approval for EPKINLY® (epcoritamab-bysp) to Treat Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma. AbbVie. June 26, 2024. Accessed June 27, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-food-and-drug-administration-grants-second-approval-for-epkinly-epcoritamab-bysp-to-treat-patients-with-relapsed-or-refractory-follicular-lymphoma-302183824.html