Two months after MSD (Merck & Co) set its eye on acquiring Eyebiotech (EyeBio), the former has closed the deal, making EyeBio its subsidiary.

MSD has acquired all outstanding shares of the privately held UK-based biotech through a subsidiary as part of the agreement. EyeBio’s shareholders will receive approximately $0.50 per share, totalling $1.3bn.

Following the acquisition, MSD has gained access to EyeBio’s lead asset Restoret (EYE-103), a tetravalent, tri-specific antibody that targets the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signalling pathway.

A Phase IIb/III trial investigating Restoret in patients with DME is expected to begin in H2 this year. In February, EyeBio reported positive data from the Phase Ib/IIa AMARONE trial (NCT05919693) in patients with treatment-naïve diabetic macular oedema (DME) and treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

In the study, Restoret improved vision in 26 participants with DME, leading to an improved best-corrected visual acuity by +11.2 letters and a mean reduction in retinal thickness of -143 µm. Similar outcomes were observed in the five treatment-naive neovascular AMD participants who received Restoret in combination with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Eylea (aflibercept). The therapy was well tolerated, with no treatment-related adverse events.

In the past few months, MSD has invested considerable resources in expanding its therapeutics portfolio through acquisitions and partnerships. In March, MSD acquired US-based Harpoon Therapeutics to bolster its immunology pipeline. The company gained access to Harpoon’s T cell engagers – engineered antibodies that redirect T cells to attack cancer cells.

In November 2023, the company acquired US-based Caraway Therapeutics to expand its pipeline for neurogenerative disease therapies. Caraway’s portfolio comprised a preclinical candidate that targets the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily (TRPML1). The compound is being evaluated as a treatment for the lysosomal storage disorder, Gaucher disease, and glucocerebrosidase (GBA)-mutated Parkinson’s disease.

In October 2023, MSD signed a licensing agreement with Daiichi Sankyo to develop and commercialise three antibody-drug conjugate candidates.

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