2015年3月5日讯 /生物谷BIOON/--久不见诸媒体的著名生物医药公司百特公司最近终于又有新动作。公司决定以2亿2千5百万美元的价格收购SuppreMol--一家自身免疫疾病药物研发公司。这或许是百特公司在进行分离重组时就已经制定好的计划。
去年，这家血液病药物巨头决定将公司的生命科学部门进行剥离重组，形成一个新的生物医药公司。这家名为Baxalta将不再局限于血液病研究，而是将业务范围扩大到了肿瘤治疗领域。SuppreMol公司的收购无疑将增强公司未来进入该市场的底气。
百特公司生命科学部门主管表示，公司通过收购SuppreMol将扩充公司在免疫学领域的实力，对于增加公司研发创新性和拓展市场具有积极意义。SuppreMol公司因其在Fc受体信号通路方面的研究而闻名。目前正在进行SM101药物的临床二期研究。这种药物主要是用于治疗特发性血小板减少性紫癜和全身性红斑狼疮等自身免疫疾病。
值得注意的是，这并不是百特公司为分离重组做的唯一准备。此前，百特公司就和波士顿的生物医药公司Merrimack签订了高达9亿美元的合作协议。另一方面，百特公司在美国麻省坎布里奇市开辟了一块面积达20万平方英尺的办公场所，公司预计今年将从美国加州和欧洲调集超过400名员工充实这一研发中心。
近年来，处于各种原因，许多公司纷纷进行了资产剥离。生物医药公司希望通过这种方式能够实现资源的优化重组，提高公司的创新能力。
详细英文报道：
With Baxter's ($BAX) bioscience division getting ready to spin out into an independent operation with an R&D base in Boston, the company has struck a deal to buy out SuppreMol for $225 million in cash. Baxter is planning to continue operating the biotech at its Munich facility, where SuppreMol has been working on new drugs for autoimmune diseases.
The German biotech has been at work on a Phase IIa study for its lead drug, SM101, in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP, which causes low platelet levels) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, a disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue). SuppreMol's claim to fame rests on its work related to the modulation of Fc receptor signaling pathways.
Baxter's decision to split the company last year set the stage for the debut of a $6 billion biotech with a major stake in hemophilia drugs. But its bioscience division, to be called Baxalta, has designs on a bigger portfolio, with recent partnerships focused on hematology and oncology. In preparation for their debut, Baxter's inked a $900 million pact with Boston's Merrimack ($MACK).
Baxter grabbed a lease on 200,000 square feet of prime biotech space in Cambridge, MA's Kendall Square last fall, planning to move in 400 staffers from California and Europe into the site.
''SuppreMol's portfolio of novel investigational treatments complements and builds upon our leading and differentiated immunology portfolio, offering the opportunity to expand into new areas with significant market potential and unmet medical needs in autoimmune diseases,'' said Ludwig Hantson, president of Baxter BioScience and the man tapped to lead the spinout.