AbbVie Acquires Aliada Therapeutics to Boost Alzheimer's and Neuroscience Research

NORTH CHICAGO, IL and BOSTON, MA, USA I October 28, 2024

AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Aliada Therapeutics have announced that AbbVie will acquire Aliada, a biotech firm focused on developing treatments for central nervous system (CNS) diseases through innovative blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technology. Aliada’s primary investigational therapy, ALIA-1758, is an anti-pyroglutamate amyloid beta (3pE-Aβ) antibody intended for Alzheimer’s disease treatment.

Roopal Thakkar, M.D., executive vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer at AbbVie, emphasized that neuroscience is a crucial growth area for the company, highlighting their dedication to innovating treatments for severe neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. He noted that acquiring Aliada allows AbbVie to advance ALIA-1758, which has potential as a leading disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s. Additionally, Aliada’s BBB-crossing technology will enhance AbbVie’s research and development efforts, facilitating the creation of next-generation treatments for neurological disorders and other diseases that benefit from improved CNS therapeutic delivery.

Michael Ryan, M.D., chief medical officer at Aliada Therapeutics, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, noting AbbVie’s commitment to progressing ALIA-1758 for Alzheimer’s patients. He credited Aliada’s proprietary MODEL™ platform with enabling the development of ALIA-1758, which represents significant progress in delivering anti-amyloid antibody therapies to the brain. Ryan pointed out that many CNS-targeted treatments fail to advance to late-stage trials because they cannot effectively cross the BBB, a challenge directly addressed by the MODEL™ platform, which efficiently delivers targeted drugs and has the potential to transform neurological disease treatment.

Aliada’s approach involves utilizing its Modular Delivery (MODEL™) platform, designed for precise CNS drug delivery. This BBB-crossing technology targets transferrin and CD98 receptors (TfR and CD98), which are abundantly found in brain endothelial cells. By optimizing binders for these receptors, the platform is engineered to transport various biological cargoes into the brain, including therapeutic antibodies and genetic medicines such as siRNA.

ALIA-1758 employs TfR to carry a 3pE-Aβ antibody across the BBB, facilitating the breakdown and removal of amyloid beta plaques, which are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. This candidate is currently undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate its safety and tolerability in healthy individuals (NCT06406348).

Per the agreement, AbbVie will acquire all outstanding Aliada equity for $1.4 billion in cash, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, pending regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

AbbVie’s legal advisor for this transaction was Covington & Burling LLP. Aliada’s financial advisor was Centerview Partners LLC, with Fenwick & West LLP serving as their legal advisor.

AbbVie is dedicated to discovering and delivering innovative medicines for significant health issues and addressing future medical challenges. Their work spans key therapeutic areas such as immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care, and includes products and services within their Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

Aliada Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, is focused on overcoming delivery challenges in CNS drug development. The company is developing next-generation CNS therapeutics with the MODEL™ platform, which has proven effective in transporting a variety of therapeutic cargoes into the brain, thus enhancing treatment effectiveness for large molecule and oligonucleotide therapies. Aliada was co-founded and initially funded by Johnson & Johnson, RA Capital Management, and Raven, with additional investments from OrbiMed and Sanofi Ventures.

This acquisition marks a significant step forward in addressing the delivery and effectiveness of CNS therapies, with potential implications for a range of neurological conditions.