Latest news with #TaihoPharmaceutical
Business Insider
23-05-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
Cullinan Therapeutics to present new results from REZILIENT1 trial
Cullinan Therapeutics (CGEM), Taiho Pharmaceutical and Taiho Oncology announced new results from the pivotal Phase 2b cohorts of the REZILIENT1 trial, a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of zipalertinib monotherapy in patients with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor exon 20 insertion mutations who have received prior therapy. These data will be presented on Sunday, June 1 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting as an oral presentation. As of the December 2024 data cutoff, 244 patients were enrolled in REZILIENT1 and received at least one dose of 100 mg zipalertinib. The overall efficacy population consisted of all patients who received at least one dose of 100 mg zipalertinib and had approximately 8 months of minimum follow-up at data cutoff. Patients had received a median of 2 prior therapies, and 39% of patients had a history of brain metastases. With median follow-up of 9.3 months, zipalertinib demonstrated: In the overall efficacy population, confirmed overall objective response rate was 35% with median duration of response of 8.8 months; in patients with prior platinum-based chemotherapy only, ORR was 40% with mDOR of 8.8 months, consistent with REZILIENT1 Phase 1/2a results; in patients with prior chemo and amivantamab, ORR was 30% with mDOR of 14.7 months; in patients with prior chemo and amivantamab, ORR was 24% with mDOR of 8.5 months and in patients with brain metastases, the ORR was 31% with mDOR of 8.3 months. The safety analysis population included all REZILIENT1 patients who received at least one dose of 100 mg zipalertinib. The results showed that zipalertinib demonstrated a manageable safety profile in this heavily pre-treated patient population, consistent with previously reported data. The most common treatment-related adverse events were paronychia, rash, dermatitis acneiform, dry skin, diarrhea and stomatitis. The majority of TRAEs were grade 1 or 2. The most common grade 3 TRAEs were anemia, pneumonitis and rash, increased alanine aminotransferase, diarrhea, and decreased platelet count.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taiho Pharmaceutical to acquire Araris Biotech for up to $1.14 billion
-- On Monday, Taiho Pharmaceutical (TADAWUL:2070) Co., Ltd. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Araris Biotech AG, a Swiss biotech company specializing in next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The $400 million deal, with additional milestone payments up to $740 million, is set to be completed in the first half of 2025. The agreement follows a research collaboration initiated in November 2023 between the two companies. Araris, emerging from the Paul-Scherrer-Institute in Switzerland, is known for its innovative ADCs which offer improved design, high linker solubility, and simpler manufacturing. These advancements aim to overcome the limitations of existing ADCs. Their proprietary ADC linker platform, AraLinQ™, has produced ADC candidates that are more uniform, stable, and potent, showing greater safety and antitumor effects in preclinical studies. Araris is also progressing three preclinical-stage products for hematological and solid tumors, expected to enter clinical trials between 2025 and 2026. Taiho Pharmaceutical, recognized for its antimetabolites and small molecule drug discovery platform Cysteinomix, aims to enhance cancer treatment and patient care. The acquisition of Araris will complement Taiho's portfolio, particularly in oncology drug discovery. Masayuki Kobayashi, President of Taiho Pharmaceutical, expressed confidence that Araris' expertise and technology will significantly enhance Taiho's drug discovery capabilities. Dima Kuzmin of 4BIO Capital commended the acquisition, emphasizing Taiho's capability to expedite the development of Araris' treatments. "We are proud to combine with Taiho and aim to turbo-charge the clinical development of our potent antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates in hematological and solid tumors," Dragan Grabulovski, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Araris Biotech, told following the annoucement. "The Araris approach is unique because it creates smart missile ADCs by attaching multiple cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in one step that mimic successful chemotherapy combinations in a targeted fashion to overcome persistent challenges of cancer resistance. Araris' ADCs can potentially be safer and more efficacious than other ADCs because their proprietary conjugation technology AraLinQ™ connects the linker-payload to the antibody with exceptional stability, resulting in precise payload delivery to the tumor target and less toxicity in the bloodstream." Grabulovski added, "We have been able to build a strong relationship with the Taiho team starting with our research collaboration that began in November 2023. In the course of this research collaboration, ADCs were created using Araris' technology using antibodies to undisclosed targets. We look forward to working together to advance the future of cancer care." Post-acquisition, Araris will operate as a fully owned subsidiary of Taiho Pharmaceutical, continuing its operations and research in Zurich, Switzerland. Their AraLinQ™ technology is notable for its site-specific payload attachment, maintaining antibody performance and exceptional stability, while improving solubility and enabling the delivery of multiple payloads. MTS Health Partners, L.P, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich&Rosati PC, and Homburger AG are advising Taiho Pharmaceutical, while Centerview Partners UK LLP, Cooley LLP, and BGPartner Ltd are advising Araris on the transaction. Related Articles Taiho Pharmaceutical to acquire Araris Biotech for up to $1.14 billion Alphabet to buy Wiz for $32 billion in its biggest deal to boost cloud security .P. Morgan sees 20% upside in Rio Tinto, rates stock Overweight on copper growth Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Taiho outlays $1.14bn to acquire ADC specialist Araris
Taiho Pharmaceutical has agreed to acquire Swiss-based antibody-drug-conjugate (ADC) specialist Araris Biotech for up to $1.14bn, representing another big-dollar deal for the promising cancer treatment modality. The purchase agreement comprises a $400m upfront payment, with a further $740m in milestone payments. The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. Taiho is already familiar with Araris's technology, having worked with the biotech since 2023 via an ADC collaboration targeting undisclosed oncological targets. This acquisition will see Taiho gain access to Araris's entire ADC infrastructure, with the biotech becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. A spin-off from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich, Araris has developed linker technology that allows attachment of payloads to 'off-the-shelf' antibodies in a single step. The key differentiator of the biotech's platform, called AraLinQ, allows the conjugation of two or three cytotoxic payloads simultaneously. ADCs have become a promising therapeutic modality in oncology and are one of the fastest-growing areas in cancer drug research. Araris claims its peptide linker technology overcomes limitations in current ADC technologies such as heterogeneity, aggregation in blood, and high costs. Araris states preclinical studies have demonstrated a wider range of safety and increased antitumour effects among its candidates compared to conventional ADCs. The Swiss biotech has three candidates at the preclinical stage that are anticipated to enter clinical trials between 2025 and 2026. Araris's CEO Dragan Grabulovski told Pharmaceutical Technology earlier this year that nectin-four and NaPi2b are targets for two of the internal programmes; the third has not been disclosed. '[Taiho's] significant cancer expertise will support us in turbo-charging the clinical development of our potent ADC candidates in haematological and solid tumours,' Grabulovski said in a statement following the acquisition agreement. Taiho's president Masayuki Kobayashi commented: 'We are confident that the addition of Araris's knowledge, experience and technology platform in ADC drug discovery, as well as its development pipeline, will lead to further expansion and strengthening of Taiho's drug discovery capabilities and portfolio.' Taiho is not the only Japanese pharma company to tap Araris's linker technology – Chugai Pharmaceutical penned a research collaboration, including a licence agreement with the biotech for up to $780m in January 2025. Taiho's acquisition of Araris is just the latest in a long line of deals in the ADC space, though it is still a long way short of some of the money being spent by big pharma. Pfizer – which is also researching multi-payload ADCs - acquired Seagen for $43bn in December 2023 while MSD and AbbVie have also completed $10.8bn and $10.1bn deals in recent years. "Taiho outlays $1.14bn to acquire ADC specialist Araris" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4BIO Capital Portfolio Company Araris Biotech to be Acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for up to USD 1.14 billion
Press Release 4BIO Capital Portfolio Company Araris Biotech to be Acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for up to USD 1.14 billion London, United Kingdom, 17 March 2025 – 4BIO Capital ('4BIO' or 'the Group'), an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies, today announces that its portfolio company, Araris Biotech AG ('Araris' or 'the Company'), a Swiss oncology biotech company developing next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd ('Taiho Pharmaceutical'). The acquisition follows a research collaboration between Taiho Pharmaceutical and Araris signed in November 2023 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiho Pharmaceutical will pay a USD 400 million upfront, with the potential for additional milestone payments of up to USD 740 million, and for a total amount of up to USD 1.14 billion. Araris has been an investment out of 4BIO Capital Fund II, and the 4BIO team is proud to have actively supported the fast development and acquisition since the initial investment in 2020. In early 2020, 4BIO Capital recognised the significant potential of next-generation ADCs, however came to the conclusion that linker technologies needed to be improved to take the field to the next level. The 4BIO team subsequently identified Araris as the best-in-class linker-payload ADC platform to address the shortcomings of current generation ADCs. The Company's AraLinQ™ technology enables the attachment of multiple, synergistic cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in an efficient one-step process, whilst ensuring long-term stability and safety of the resulting ADC, as well as increased antitumour effect compared to conventional ADCs. 4BIO Capital supported the company in the development of AraLinQ™ and its proprietary pipeline, leading its Series A in 2022 and supporting the company through multiple large pharma partnerships both as an investor and from the Board with Managing Partner Dima Kuzmin as Chairman, and Brian McVeigh and Dr Therese Liechtenstein as Board Observers. Araris is advancing three products for the treatment of haematological and solid tumours developed using its unique AraLinQ™ technology, all of which are currently in the preclinical stage. These products are anticipated to enter into clinical trials between 2025 and 2026 and will benefit from Taiho Pharmaceutical's clinical development expertise. Dr Dmitry (Dima) Kuzmin, Managing Partner at 4BIO Capital and Chairman of Araris, commented, 'The success of Araris is a perfect example of the 4BIO Capital playbook. We identified the technological hurdle that needed to be overcome to empower an up-and-coming drug class, identified the best science and the people to solve it and, alongside Araris' management team, supported the company to secure multiple pharma partnerships, develop its own pipeline and now become part of the Taiho group. This acquisition confirms Araris' position as one of the most exciting ADC companies in the market and has the potential to return over two times the fund to 4BIO Ventures II investors, further validating our science-driven, high conviction seed investment strategy.' Dr Dragan Grabulovski, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Araris added, 'We sincerely appreciate the support of Dima and the entire team at 4BIO in shaping our company, advancing our science, and helping us reach this important milestone. It's the kind of investor that brings not only money to the table but also valuable strategic guidance, a network of industry connections, and a shared vision for transforming cancer treatment. Araris has developed a unique ADC technology that delivers different cancer-fighting drugs directly to tumours with high precision. This approach allows multiple treatment methods to work together at the same time while reducing harmful side effects. We are excited to join forces with Taiho Pharmaceutical whose deep expertise in oncology will be instrumental in accelerating the clinical development of our promising ADC candidates for both haematological and solid tumours.' Philippe Fauchet OBE, Venture Partner at 4BIO Capital added, 'We are delighted to see a seed investment we made in Europe find a skilled partner in a pioneering Japanese pharma company and are very happy to have facilitated the closer partnership. This deal further validates our strategy of building strong bridges between the Japanese and European biotech and pharma companies, which we believe will bring significant benefits to both ecosystems.' Details of the acquisition can be found in the press release from Araris and Taiho Pharmaceutical here. – End – Contacts 4BIO Capital +44 (0) 203 427 5500info@ ICR HealthcareAmber Fennell, Jonathan Edwards, Kris Lam +44 (0)20 3709 57004biocapital@ About 4BIO Capital 4BIO Capital ('4BIO') is an international venture capital firm focused on investing in advanced therapies, including genomic medicines and other emerging technologies, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO's objective is to invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies developing treatments in areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to these potentially curative therapies for all patients. Specifically, it looks for viable, high-quality opportunities in cell and gene therapy, RNA-based therapy, targeted therapies, and the microbiome. The 4BIO team comprises leading advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors who have collectively published over 250 scientific articles in prestigious academic journals including Nature, The Lancet, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. 4BIO has both an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @4biocapital and visit About Araris Biotech AG Araris Biotech is a leading independent company pioneering the future of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and redefining the entire paradigm of targeted cancer therapy and beyond. Araris' vision is a world without chemotherapy and its proprietary conjugation and groundbreaking multi-payload technology represents a quantum leap forward in ADC design, enabling the transformation of any antibody into an ADC with the goal of better safety and efficacy. By enabling the attachment of multiple, synergistic cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in an efficient one-step process, Araris is creating a new generation of smart missiles that deliver the potency of combination chemotherapy in a targeted fashion in order to tackle the persistent challenges of cancer resistance. Araris' investors include 4BIO Capital, b2venture, Pureos Bioventures, Redalpine, Schroders Capital, VI Partners, Wille AG, Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation and Samsung Ventures. For more information about our science and pipeline, please visit About Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. ( is an R&D-driven specialty pharma focusing on the fields of oncology and immune-related diseases. Its corporate philosophy takes the form of a pledge: 'We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles.' In the field of oncology, in particular, Taiho Pharmaceutical is known as a leading company in Japan for developing innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, a reputation that is rapidly expanding through their extensive global R&D efforts. In areas other than oncology, as well, the company creates and markets quality products that effectively treat medical conditions and can help improve people's quality of life. Always putting customers first, Taiho Pharmaceutical also aims to offer consumer healthcare products that support people's efforts to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives. For more information about Taiho Pharmaceutical, please visit in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4BIO Capital Portfolio Company Araris Biotech to be Acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for up to USD 1.14 billion
Press Release 4BIO Capital Portfolio Company Araris Biotech to be Acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical for up to USD 1.14 billion London, United Kingdom, 17 March 2025 – 4BIO Capital ('4BIO' or 'the Group'), an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies, today announces that its portfolio company, Araris Biotech AG ('Araris' or 'the Company'), a Swiss oncology biotech company developing next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd ('Taiho Pharmaceutical'). The acquisition follows a research collaboration between Taiho Pharmaceutical and Araris signed in November 2023 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiho Pharmaceutical will pay a USD 400 million upfront, with the potential for additional milestone payments of up to USD 740 million, and for a total amount of up to USD 1.14 billion. Araris has been an investment out of 4BIO Capital Fund II, and the 4BIO team is proud to have actively supported the fast development and acquisition since the initial investment in 2020. In early 2020, 4BIO Capital recognised the significant potential of next-generation ADCs, however came to the conclusion that linker technologies needed to be improved to take the field to the next level. The 4BIO team subsequently identified Araris as the best-in-class linker-payload ADC platform to address the shortcomings of current generation ADCs. The Company's AraLinQ™ technology enables the attachment of multiple, synergistic cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in an efficient one-step process, whilst ensuring long-term stability and safety of the resulting ADC, as well as increased antitumour effect compared to conventional ADCs. 4BIO Capital supported the company in the development of AraLinQ™ and its proprietary pipeline, leading its Series A in 2022 and supporting the company through multiple large pharma partnerships both as an investor and from the Board with Managing Partner Dima Kuzmin as Chairman, and Brian McVeigh and Dr Therese Liechtenstein as Board Observers. Araris is advancing three products for the treatment of haematological and solid tumours developed using its unique AraLinQ™ technology, all of which are currently in the preclinical stage. These products are anticipated to enter into clinical trials between 2025 and 2026 and will benefit from Taiho Pharmaceutical's clinical development expertise. Dr Dmitry (Dima) Kuzmin, Managing Partner at 4BIO Capital and Chairman of Araris, commented, 'The success of Araris is a perfect example of the 4BIO Capital playbook. We identified the technological hurdle that needed to be overcome to empower an up-and-coming drug class, identified the best science and the people to solve it and, alongside Araris' management team, supported the company to secure multiple pharma partnerships, develop its own pipeline and now become part of the Taiho group. This acquisition confirms Araris' position as one of the most exciting ADC companies in the market and has the potential to return over two times the fund to 4BIO Ventures II investors, further validating our science-driven, high conviction seed investment strategy.' Dr Dragan Grabulovski, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Araris added, 'We sincerely appreciate the support of Dima and the entire team at 4BIO in shaping our company, advancing our science, and helping us reach this important milestone. It's the kind of investor that brings not only money to the table but also valuable strategic guidance, a network of industry connections, and a shared vision for transforming cancer treatment. Araris has developed a unique ADC technology that delivers different cancer-fighting drugs directly to tumours with high precision. This approach allows multiple treatment methods to work together at the same time while reducing harmful side effects. We are excited to join forces with Taiho Pharmaceutical whose deep expertise in oncology will be instrumental in accelerating the clinical development of our promising ADC candidates for both haematological and solid tumours.' Philippe Fauchet OBE, Venture Partner at 4BIO Capital added, 'We are delighted to see a seed investment we made in Europe find a skilled partner in a pioneering Japanese pharma company and are very happy to have facilitated the closer partnership. This deal further validates our strategy of building strong bridges between the Japanese and European biotech and pharma companies, which we believe will bring significant benefits to both ecosystems.' Details of the acquisition can be found in the press release from Araris and Taiho Pharmaceutical here. – End – Contacts 4BIO Capital +44 (0) 203 427 5500info@ ICR HealthcareAmber Fennell, Jonathan Edwards, Kris Lam +44 (0)20 3709 57004biocapital@ About 4BIO Capital 4BIO Capital ('4BIO') is an international venture capital firm focused on investing in advanced therapies, including genomic medicines and other emerging technologies, to unlock the treatments of the future. 4BIO's objective is to invest in, support, and grow early-stage companies developing treatments in areas of high unmet medical need, with the ultimate goal of ensuring access to these potentially curative therapies for all patients. Specifically, it looks for viable, high-quality opportunities in cell and gene therapy, RNA-based therapy, targeted therapies, and the microbiome. The 4BIO team comprises leading advanced therapy scientists and experienced life science investors who have collectively published over 250 scientific articles in prestigious academic journals including Nature, The Lancet, Cell, and the New England Journal of Medicine. 4BIO has both an unrivalled network within the advanced therapy sector and a unique understanding of the criteria that define a successful investment opportunity in this space. For more information, connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @4biocapital and visit About Araris Biotech AG Araris Biotech is a leading independent company pioneering the future of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and redefining the entire paradigm of targeted cancer therapy and beyond. Araris' vision is a world without chemotherapy and its proprietary conjugation and groundbreaking multi-payload technology represents a quantum leap forward in ADC design, enabling the transformation of any antibody into an ADC with the goal of better safety and efficacy. By enabling the attachment of multiple, synergistic cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in an efficient one-step process, Araris is creating a new generation of smart missiles that deliver the potency of combination chemotherapy in a targeted fashion in order to tackle the persistent challenges of cancer resistance. Araris' investors include 4BIO Capital, b2venture, Pureos Bioventures, Redalpine, Schroders Capital, VI Partners, Wille AG, Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation and Samsung Ventures. For more information about our science and pipeline, please visit About Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. ( is an R&D-driven specialty pharma focusing on the fields of oncology and immune-related diseases. Its corporate philosophy takes the form of a pledge: 'We strive to improve human health and contribute to a society enriched by smiles.' In the field of oncology, in particular, Taiho Pharmaceutical is known as a leading company in Japan for developing innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, a reputation that is rapidly expanding through their extensive global R&D efforts. In areas other than oncology, as well, the company creates and markets quality products that effectively treat medical conditions and can help improve people's quality of life. Always putting customers first, Taiho Pharmaceutical also aims to offer consumer healthcare products that support people's efforts to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives. For more information about Taiho Pharmaceutical, please visit in to access your portfolio
