Sentynl Therapeutics to Acquire Alvelestat Rights in $475 Million Asset Deal
The acquisition expands Sentynl's rare disease portfolio with a potential first-in-class oral treatment for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency with liver disease.
Sentynl Therapeutics, Inc. (MREO) agreed to acquire the U.S. commercial and global manufacturing rights to alvelestat for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency with liver disease (AATD-LD) in an asset-purchase deal.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sentynl will make $40 million in upfront and research-and-development payments. The deal includes potential milestone payments of up to $435 million.
The acquisition allows the company to expand its rare disease portfolio with a potential first-in-class oral treatment for AATD-LD, a rare genetic respiratory disease. “This partnership marks a pivotal moment for Sentynl’s rare disease strategy. Mereo’s alvelestat is a highly promising, differentiated candidate that meaningfully expands our portfolio and has the potential to address an area of significant unmet need,” said Dr. Sharvil P. Patel, Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences Limited.
AATD is an inherited genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the SERPINA1 gene, which leads to the accumulation of mutant Z-AAT protein in the liver and a deficiency of functional AAT in the lungs. This pathology can result in progressive lung damage, such as emphysema, and liver cirrhosis or carcinoma. While weekly IV augmentation therapy is available for lung disease, there are currently no approved therapies to address AATD liver disease.
The transaction follows a broader trend of biopharmaceutical companies expanding their rare disease footprints through targeted acquisitions. In April 2024, Chiesi Group agreed to acquire KalVista Pharmaceuticals for approximately $1.9 billion in cash to secure an oral therapy for hereditary angioedema.
Other industry players are pursuing different modalities for AATD, including Beam Therapeutics' in vivo gene correction program BEAM-302 and Wave LifeSciences' RNA editing candidate WVE-006.