GSK has completed the acquisition of US vaccine developer Affinivax in a deal worth up to $3.3bn.
Completion of the deal was announced to the London Stock Exchange this morning.
Affinivax has pioneered the development of a novel class of vaccines, the most advanced of which are next-generation pneumococcal vaccines.
Under the terms of the agreement, GSK has agreed to make an upfront payment of $2.1bn, plus two potential performance-based payments of $0.6bn.
As previously announced, the acquisition of Affinivax strengthens GSK’s vaccines R&D pipeline, providing access to a new, potentially disruptive technology.
It includes a next-generation 24-valent pneumococcal vaccine candidate (AFX3772), currently in phase II development, which is based on the highly innovative Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) platform technology.
Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer, GSK, said: “Affinivax’s exciting pneumococcal vaccine candidates, the potentially disruptive MAPs technology and their fantastic scientific talent, further strengthen our pipeline of novel vaccines.”
Multiple Antigen Presenting System (MAPS) is a novel and highly efficient vaccine technology platform that enables the precise, high-affinity binding of pathogen-derived polysaccharides and proteins of immune-relevance into a single vaccine.
The initial use of the technology has been directed primarily toward preventing pneumococcal disease. Applicability of the technology has also been demonstrated for additional infectious disease pathogens, including those that cause hospital-acquired infections.