Jazz Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire Actio Biosciences in a deal worth up to $1.32 billion, gaining rights to ABS-1230, an investigational KCNT1 inhibitor in development for rare form of epilepsy.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Actio Biosciences for $820 million upfront, with up to a further $500 million available in contingent approval and sales milestones. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
The acquisition will give Jazz Pharmaceuticals access to Actio’s lead clinical asset, ABS-1230, a first-in-class, orally available small-molecule inhibitor of the KCNT1 ion channel. The therapy is being developed for KCNT1+ epilepsy, a rare epileptic encephalopathy affecting approximately 2,500 people in the United States (US).
The condition is characterised by frequent, treatment-resistant seizures and can be associated with significant developmental and neurological impairment. In patients with later-onset disease, disruptive nocturnal seizures can occur alongside cognitive and psychiatric comorbidities.
There are currently no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies specifically for KCNT1+ epilepsy. ABS-1230 has demonstrated meaningful seizure reductions in an early clinical proof-of-concept trial in children, while the ongoing Phase 1b/2a KYRON trial is intended to support a potential US New Drug Application.
“The emerging clinical profile of ABS-1230 is highly encouraging, and we look forward to closing the proposed transaction and collaborating with our new Actio Biosciences colleagues to address an urgent patient need.”
- Renee Gala, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
Commenting on the acquisition, Renee Gala, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, said: “The emerging clinical profile of ABS-1230 is highly encouraging, and we look forward to closing the proposed transaction and collaborating with our new Actio Biosciences colleagues to address an urgent patient need.”
ABS-1230 has received FDA Fast Track, Rare Pediatric Disease and Orphan Drug designations and has been accepted into the FDA’s Rare Disease Evidence Principles (RDEP) process, which is intended to facilitate rapid development of ultra-rare disease populations with significant unmet medical need.
The deal will further strengthen Jazz’s rare epilepsy portfolio, building on its existing Epidiolex franchise. Following completion, Actio will also spin out a separate private company containing certain other assets, including ABS-0871, a clinical-stage TRPV4 inhibitor being developed for Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2C. Jazz will retain a minority stake in the new company.
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