SWITZERLAND – Roche has announced plans to acquire Poseida Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to US $1.5 billion, marking a significant boost to its development pipeline with advanced cell therapy technologies.
The acquisition includes an upfront payment of US $9 per share and a contingent value right (CVR) of up to US $4 per share, tied to specific milestones, giving Roche access to Poseida’s cutting-edge platform for allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies.
Poseida Therapeutics specializes in off-the-shelf, allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies. These therapies genetically modify immune cells to target cancer or autoimmune diseases, offering new hope for patients with limited options.
Roche’s acquisition builds on an existing collaboration with Poseida to develop treatments for hematological malignancies.
The deal includes Poseida’s portfolio of preclinical and clinical candidates, with applications in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases.
Notably, Poseida’s lead program, P-BCMA-ALLO1, has garnered attention for its potential in treating multiple myeloma.
The therapy has already received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) and Orphan Drug designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a Phase 1 study presented at the International Myeloma Society Annual Meeting, P-BCMA-ALLO1 showed a remarkable 91% overall response rate (ORR) among 23 heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients in an optimized lymphodepletion arm.
Among BCMA-naïve patients, the ORR was 100%, further validating its promise as a transformative therapy.
Roche’s vision for cell therapy
“This exciting acquisition will allow us to drive further progress in allogeneic cell therapy while leveraging the successful existing partnership with Poseida,” said Levi Garraway, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Product Development.
“We are very encouraged by the early clinical data, and this acquisition builds on our joint progress to catalyze the development of potentially first and best-in-class cell therapies in oncology, immunology, and neurology.”
The acquisition aligns with Roche’s strategic push to diversify its development pipeline. Poseida’s innovative platform offers significant opportunities to explore novel therapies for various cancers and immune-related conditions.
Roche’s acquisition momentum
Roche has been aggressively pursuing strategic acquisitions to rebuild its pipeline after setbacks in oncology and Alzheimer’s research.
In the past few months alone, Roche’s Genentech unit acquired Regor Pharmaceuticals’ portfolio of next-generation CDK inhibitors for US $850 million upfront.
The company also inked a US $1.8 billion deal with Flare Therapeutics to target previously undrugged transcription factors in oncology.
In December last year, Roche announced plans to acquire Carmot Therapeutics for US $2.7 billion, aiming to challenge dominant players in the weight-loss drug market.
These moves demonstrate Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker’s commitment to revitalizing the company’s innovation portfolio amid declining sales of existing cancer treatments.
