NEW YORK – Novo Nordisk has acquired 2seventy Bio's hemophilia A program and the rights to use its in vivo gene editing technology in a deal valued up to $40 million, the companies said on Wednesday.
2seventy and Novo Nordisk originally started collaborating in 2019 on a gene editing therapy for hemophilia A, but under the terms of the latest asset purchase agreement, 2seventy will transfer this program to Novo Nordisk, terminating the original deal. 2seventy employees who work on the hemophilia A program will continue to advance the project under Novo Nordisk.
2seventy will also transfer to Novo Nordisk its megaTAL gene editing technology for use "outside of oncology and gene editing for autologous or allogeneic cell therapies of immune cells for the treatment of autoimmune disease," as well as grant Novo Nordisk a license to associated intellectual property.
The asset purchase agreement follows 2seventy's decision last year to restructure its business and reduce its workforce by 40 percent to reduce costs. At the time, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm said it was pausing several early-stage therapeutic programs and research into new technologies and transferring two programs into an expanded partnership with Shanghai-based JW Therapeutics, all so it could focus on advancing Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel).
The funds from this deal with Novo Nordisk will allow 2seventy to maintain its focus on commercializing and developing the BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma with Bristol Myers Squibb.
"Novo Nordisk has been a valued partner over the past five years, and we are confident that under their leadership, the promise of developing a new treatment approach for patients living with hemophilia A will continue to progress," 2seventy CEO Chip Baird said in a statement, adding that "the divestiture supports 2seventy's exclusive focus on delivering Abecma to as many patients as possible."
Karina Thorn, corporate VP of global nucleic acid therapies research at Novo Nordisk, added in a statement that the latest deal allows the company to expand its genome editing technology platforms and "leverage the megaTAL technology for pioneering therapeutic applications."