Gilead acquires XinThera to strengthen pipeline in oncology and inflammation
Gilead Sciences has announced the acquisition of all outstanding shares of XinThera, a privately owned biotech company based in San Diego, US. This acquisition aims to strengthen Gilead’s clinical development pipeline through the addition of XinThera’s oncology and inflammation assets.
Gilead will gain the rights to a portfolio of small molecule inhibitors that target PARP1 for oncology and MK2 for inflammatory diseases; these could enter clinical trials by the end of 2023. Both the oncology and inflammation programmes have the potential to address various indications, with a wide range of development opportunities both alone and in combination with Gilead’s portfolio.
Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Flavius Martin MD, executive vice president of research at Gilead Sciences, commented: “The team at XinThera has developed research assets with the potential to target the DNA damage repair pathway in treating cancer and direct the body’s immune response in inflammatory diseases, both of which may improve outcomes for people living with these diseases. Guided by our scientific framework, this acquisition will allow us to further expand our early pipeline of diverse assets that will continue to fuel our durable latephase portfolio.”
Chris LeMasters, who worked as XinThera’s chief executive officer, added: “Gilead and XinThera share similar missions to discover new therapies to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, which drive our determination to unlock the body’s ability to better respond to these diseases. We are eager to join Gilead and together explore the potential of our precision medicines as critical components of the next generation of therapies targeting diseases with high unmet need.”