Vertex will acquire Alpine Immune Sciences, a Seattle-based biotech with a focus on protein-based immunotherapies, in a deal worth approximately $4.9 billion.
Key to the deal is Alpine’s lead molecule, povetacicept (ALPN-303), a highly potent dual antagonist of BAFF (B cell activating factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand). On track to enter phase 3 clinical development in the second half of 2024, povetacicept has shown potential best-in-class efficacy in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a progressive autoimmune disease of the kidney that can lead to end-stage renal disease.
If approved, povetacicept would be the first therapy that targets the underlying cause of IgAN. The dual BAFF/APRIL antagonist is also being studied in renal indications and autoimmune cytopenias.
While Vertex made history last December when its CRISPR Therapeutics-partnered Casgevy became the first gene-edited cell therapy approved to treat patients with sickle cell disease, the drugmaker is best known for its cystic fibrosis treatments, including blockbuster Trikafta.
The Alpine deal solidifies Vertex's ambitions beyond CF, expanding the company's reach into other serious diseases with unmet need. In the kidney disease space, earlier this month, Vertex advanced its investigational small molecule inhibitor of APOL1, inaxaplin, into phase 3 trials in APOL1-mediated kidney disease.
According to Vertex, the Alpine transaction was unanimously approved by both the Vertex and Alpine boards and is anticipated to close later this quarter.