UCB to Acquire Candid Therapeutics, Building Upon Its Existing Immunology Pipeline With Novel T-cell Engagers
The deal adds Candid’s lead T-cell engager cizutamig and could close by early Q3 2026, pending antitrust clearance.
- On Sunday, Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB announced a definitive agreement to acquire San Diego-based biotechnology firm Candid Therapeutics for $2 billion in upfront cash, with an additional $200 million in potential milestone payments.
- Led by Chairman and CEO Ken Song, Candid specializes in T-cell engager platforms designed to treat autoimmune diseases. The acquisition reflects UCB's strategy to secure next-generation immunology technologies targeting B-cell-driven conditions.
- Cizutamig, the lead asset, is a bispecific antibody targeting BCMA and CD3 proteins that has been evaluated in over 100 patients across early-stage clinical trials for autoimmune diseases and multiple myeloma.
- By opting for UCB's offer, Candid abandoned a planned reverse merger with Rallybio that would have delivered a Nasdaq listing and $505 million in concurrent financing. UCB CEO Jean-Christophe Tellier called the deal a 'pivotal moment' for the company.
- Expected to close by early third quarter of 2026, the acquisition reflects a competitive trend where major pharmaceutical companies including Gilead and Sanofi have aggressively purchased or licensed T-cell engager platforms for autoimmune diseases.
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UCB to acquire maker of antibody treatments for autoimmune diseases
Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. The U.S. is starting to feel the downstream effects of tighter immigration policies, as visa delays and uncertainty push international scientists away. Also, new funding for gene therapy startup Latus Bio, China’s tightening the reins on its supply chain, and more.Read the rest…
UCB pays up to $2.2bn for Candid Therapeutics, doubling down on T-cell engagers in autoimmune disease
The Belgian pharma is buying a two-year-old San Diego biotech for $2bn upfront, the second TCE bet it has placed in months. The thesis: B-cell killers built for cancer can rewire how autoimmune diseases are treated. Candid Therapeutics is two years old. It does not have an approved drug. Its lead programme has been tested […] This story continues at The Next Web
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