Bayer Acquires Asklepios BioPharmaceutical
BERLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bayer AG today announced the acquisition of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a US-headquartered biopharmaceutical company specialized in the research, development and manufacturing of gene therapies across different therapeutic areas. AskBio’s development portfolio includes investigational pre-clinical and clinical stage candidates for the treatment of neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Bayer will own full rights to AskBio’s gene therapy platform, including a broad intellectual property portfolio and an established contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) laying the foundation for future partnerships in the area of adeno-associated virus (AAV) therapies. The addition of AskBio to Bayer’s emerging cell and gene therapy (CGT) business strengthens Bayer’s commitment to the field. It complements the 2019 acquisition of BlueRock Therapeutics and consolidates Bayer’s ambition to create platforms with the potential to have an impact in multiple therapeutic areas. Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer will pay an upfront consideration of USD 2 billion and potential success-based milestone payments of up to USD 2 billion. Some 75 percent of the potential success-based milestone payments are expected to be due during the course of the next five years and the remaining amount late thereafter.
