Novartis expands in cardiovascular disease with $1.4bn Tourmaline Bio acquisition

Credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com

Novartis has struck a deal to acquire the New York-based biopharma company Tourmaline Bio for approximately $1.4 billion in support of its cardiovascular disease ambitions.

The pharma company will gain access to Tournaline’s atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) drug pacibekitug, an anti-IL-6IgG2 human monoclonal antibody that is being tested as a monthly and quarterly treatment option.

Addressing unmet need in cardiovascular disease

Pacibekitug works by targeting a key upstream cytokine that promotes systemic inflammation, which is an independent and significant driver of cardiovascular risk.

Shreeram Aradhye, President of Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis, said: “With no widely adopted anti-inflammatory therapies currently available for cardiovascular risk reduction, pacibekitug represents a potential breakthrough in addressing residual inflammatory risk in ASCVD.

“Inflammation is a major driver of cardiovascular disease, and the team at Tourmaline has made significant progress with this asset. We are excited to bring pacibekitug into the Novartis portfolio and collaborate with the Tourmaline team to advance its development as we diversify our efforts in cardiovascular care.”

IL-6-driven inflammation is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, including ASCVD and heart failure. Pacibekitug inhibits downstream IL-6 signalling, thereby reducing the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) pharmacodynamic marker.

In May, Tourmaline released 90-day data from the Phase II TRANQUILITY study of patients with chronic kidney disease and elevated Hs-CRP. The results showed that a 15mg once-monthly dose of pacibekitug reduced median hs-CRP levels by 85 percent, while a quarterly 50mg dose reduced this by 86 percent.

Novartis’ deal to acquire Tourmaline has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close before the end of 2025.

This acquisition of Tourmaline Bio adds to Novartis’ earlier announcement in February whereby it agreed to acquire Anthos Therapeutics, giving the company rights to a potential first-in-class biologic for atrial fibrillation. Novartis agreed to pay $925 million upfront in that deal, with further potential additional payments of up to $2.15 billion.