Gilead’s Kite agrees $350m deal to acquire US biotech Interius BioTherapeutics

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Gilead company Kite is set to acquire Interius BioTherapeutics in a $350 million deal that will give it access to the US biotech’s next generation CAR T in vivo platform.

That technology aims to overcome current CAR T limitations by forgoing the need for cell harvesting, engineering and reinfusion and it’s put to use in Interius’ lead product, the ‘off-the-shelf’ investigational gene therapy INT2104.

Cindy Perettie, Executive Vice President of Kite, said: “In vivo therapy is a promising frontier with the potential to transform how we approach treating patients, shifting to more accessible and scalable solutions.

“By combining Interius’s teams and their novel platform with Kite’s deep expertise and footprint in cell therapy research, development and manufacturing, we aim to advance best-in-class in vivo therapies to bring them to patients more efficiently.”

Interius’s integrating in vivo platform enables the generation of CAR T-cells directly within the patient’s body and, by inserting DNA into the patient’s genome, could offer a more durable and long-lasting therapeutic effect.

The therapeutic approach is delivered via a single intravenous infusion, doing away with the need for preconditioning chemotherapy and complex cell processing.

Under the terms of Kite’s agreement with Interius, the biotech’s team and operations will be folded into Kite’s existing research team as part of a centre of excellence in Interius’ current Philadelphia home.

Phil Johnson, President and CEO at Interius BioTherapeutics, said: “This marks a pivotal step for Interius and the future of in vivo therapy, which has the potential to reduce treatment timelines, broaden access to care and improve outcomes for patients with aggressive or advanced disease.

“With the addition of Kite’s deep expertise and global infrastructure, we’re well-positioned to move quickly into multiple therapeutic areas, expand access to cell therapies and deliver meaningful innovation to patients.”

Kite’s deal will also see it scoop up Interius’ first-in-class INT2104, which earlier this year became the first in vivo CAR gene therapy approved for phase I testing in Europe, when regulators cleared its use in a study for B-cell malignancies.