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GSK to Boost Respiratory & Immunology Pipeline With $2.2B RAPT Buyout
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Key Takeaways
GSK will acquire RAPT for $2.2B, adding ozureprubart, a long-acting anti-IgE monoclonal antibody.
The deal, expected to close in Q1 2026, expands GSK's respiratory, immunology and inflammation pipeline.
Ozureprubart is in a phase IIb study for food allergy protection, with phase III studies planned.
GSK plc (GSK - Free Report) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire California-based biotech RAPT Therapeutics (RAPT - Free Report) for an estimated aggregate equity value of $2.2 billion.
The impending acquisition will add RAPT Therapeutics’ ozureprubart, a long-acting anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody, to GSK’s pipeline. The candidate is currently being evaluated in a phase IIb study for prophylactic protection against food allergens.
Per the company, IgE is a well-proven clinical target and the only approved systemic treatment that helps protect patients from harmful allergic and inflammatory immune responses. Nearly 94% of severe food allergies are caused by IgE-mediated reactions.
The deal, which is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2026, is likely to strengthen GSK’s respiratory, immunology and inflammation pipeline.
GSK’s Price Performance
In the past six months, shares of GSK have rallied 31.6% compared with the industry’s increase of 22.1%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
More on GSK’s Latest Acquisition Deal
Per the agreement, GSK will pay $58.00 per share to RAPT Therapeutics’ shareholders at closing. After accounting for the cash acquired, GSK’s upfront investment is $1.9 billion.
The deal grants GSK global rights to the ozureprubart program, excluding mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong. GSK will also be responsible for paying certain success-based milestones and royalties to RAPT’s partner, Shanghai Jeyou Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Data from the phase IIb prestIgE study evaluating ozureprubart as a monotherapy for prophylactic protection against food allergens are expected in 2027. Meanwhile, phase III studies on ozureprubart are planned in both at-risk adult and pediatric populations.
Ozureprubart is likely to strengthen GSK’s broad commercial presence and established prescriber network in the allergy space. Ozureprubart could potentially protect against food allergy reactions while requiring less frequent dosing compared to the current standard-of-care treatment.
Biotech, Pharma on a M&A Spree
The biotech and pharma sector is seeing strong merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, with deals accelerating in recent times. Consolidation has long been a key focus, as big companies continually seek to diversify their revenue streams amid declining sales of their flagship drugs. The recent spree of acquisitions signifies a focus on portfolio expansion and constant pipeline innovation, given the changing landscape and spotlight on AI-driven drug discovery.
Merck (MRK - Free Report) recently closed the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics for approximately $9.2 billion. The acquisition added CDTX’s lead pipeline candidate, CD388, to Merck’s pipeline. CD388 is a first-in-class long-acting, strain-agnostic antiviral agent, currently being evaluated in late-stage studies for the prevention of seasonal influenza in individuals at higher risk of complications.
In December 2025, J&J (JNJ - Free Report) completed the acquisition of Halda Therapeutics for $3.05 billion in cash. The deal strengthens J&J’s broader oncology pipeline by adding Halda’s proprietary RIPTAC platform, a technology being used to develop oral, targeted therapies for multiple types of solid tumors.
Earlier, Pfizer closed the acquisition of obesity drug developer, Metsera, for around $10 billion, after a heated bidding war against Danish rival, Novo Nordisk. The Metsera acquisition brought Pfizer back into the lucrative obesity space by adding the latter’s four novel clinical-stage incretin and amylin programs, which are expected to generate billions of dollars in peak sales.
Lilly recently completed its previously announced acquisition of Adverum Biotechnologies, which added the latter’s lead candidate, Ixo-vec, an intravitreal single-administration gene therapy being developed to treat vision loss associated with wet age-related macular degeneration. Also, Novo Nordisk completed the acquisition of Akero Therapeutics, adding the latter’s lead candidate, efruxifermin, which is currently being evaluated in three ongoing phase III clinical studies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
Image: Bigstock
GSK to Boost Respiratory & Immunology Pipeline With $2.2B RAPT Buyout
Key Takeaways
GSK plc (GSK - Free Report) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire California-based biotech RAPT Therapeutics (RAPT - Free Report) for an estimated aggregate equity value of $2.2 billion.
The impending acquisition will add RAPT Therapeutics’ ozureprubart, a long-acting anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody, to GSK’s pipeline. The candidate is currently being evaluated in a phase IIb study for prophylactic protection against food allergens.
Per the company, IgE is a well-proven clinical target and the only approved systemic treatment that helps protect patients from harmful allergic and inflammatory immune responses. Nearly 94% of severe food allergies are caused by IgE-mediated reactions.
The deal, which is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2026, is likely to strengthen GSK’s respiratory, immunology and inflammation pipeline.
GSK’s Price Performance
In the past six months, shares of GSK have rallied 31.6% compared with the industry’s increase of 22.1%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
More on GSK’s Latest Acquisition Deal
Per the agreement, GSK will pay $58.00 per share to RAPT Therapeutics’ shareholders at closing. After accounting for the cash acquired, GSK’s upfront investment is $1.9 billion.
The deal grants GSK global rights to the ozureprubart program, excluding mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong. GSK will also be responsible for paying certain success-based milestones and royalties to RAPT’s partner, Shanghai Jeyou Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Data from the phase IIb prestIgE study evaluating ozureprubart as a monotherapy for prophylactic protection against food allergens are expected in 2027. Meanwhile, phase III studies on ozureprubart are planned in both at-risk adult and pediatric populations.
Ozureprubart is likely to strengthen GSK’s broad commercial presence and established prescriber network in the allergy space. Ozureprubart could potentially protect against food allergy reactions while requiring less frequent dosing compared to the current standard-of-care treatment.
Biotech, Pharma on a M&A Spree
The biotech and pharma sector is seeing strong merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, with deals accelerating in recent times. Consolidation has long been a key focus, as big companies continually seek to diversify their revenue streams amid declining sales of their flagship drugs. The recent spree of acquisitions signifies a focus on portfolio expansion and constant pipeline innovation, given the changing landscape and spotlight on AI-driven drug discovery.
Merck (MRK - Free Report) recently closed the acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics for approximately $9.2 billion. The acquisition added CDTX’s lead pipeline candidate, CD388, to Merck’s pipeline. CD388 is a first-in-class long-acting, strain-agnostic antiviral agent, currently being evaluated in late-stage studies for the prevention of seasonal influenza in individuals at higher risk of complications.
In December 2025, J&J (JNJ - Free Report) completed the acquisition of Halda Therapeutics for $3.05 billion in cash. The deal strengthens J&J’s broader oncology pipeline by adding Halda’s proprietary RIPTAC platform, a technology being used to develop oral, targeted therapies for multiple types of solid tumors.
Earlier, Pfizer closed the acquisition of obesity drug developer, Metsera, for around $10 billion, after a heated bidding war against Danish rival, Novo Nordisk. The Metsera acquisition brought Pfizer back into the lucrative obesity space by adding the latter’s four novel clinical-stage incretin and amylin programs, which are expected to generate billions of dollars in peak sales.
Lilly recently completed its previously announced acquisition of Adverum Biotechnologies, which added the latter’s lead candidate, Ixo-vec, an intravitreal single-administration gene therapy being developed to treat vision loss associated with wet age-related macular degeneration. Also, Novo Nordisk completed the acquisition of Akero Therapeutics, adding the latter’s lead candidate, efruxifermin, which is currently being evaluated in three ongoing phase III clinical studies for the treatment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
GSK’s Zacks Rank
GSK currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.