Kyowa Kirin, a specialty pharmaceutical company, will acquire Orchard Therapeutics, a company involved in gene therapy, for $387.4 million. 

The acquisition will allow Kyowa Kirin to maximize the value of Libmeldy and efficiently accelerate the development of Orchard Therapeutics’ next-in-line MPS programs, as well as its  early research programs, including a severe, genetic form of Crohn’s disease and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Furthermore, the combination of Orchard Therapeutics’ HSC gene therapy platform technology and Kyowa Kirin’s capabilities, resources and infrastructure will enable the continued development of numerous promising biopharmaceutical candidates in therapeutic areas and indications such as oncology and autoimmune diseases.

“We are excited to announce that we have signed the Transaction Agreement to acquire Orchard Therapeutics, one of the leading providers of HSC gene therapy,” said Takeyoshi Yamashita, director of the board, chief medical officer, senior managing executive officer of Kyowa Kirin. With this transaction, we anticipate being able to use a new modality that can have a profound impact on patients’ lives. Orchard Therapeutics is a company with a steady track record in this field and has already launched its HSC gene therapy in Europe and filed for review in the U.S. Our hope is to combine the strengths of Kyowa Kirin and Orchard Therapeutics with mutual respect to realize the successful creation and delivery of life-changing value for patients living with rare and life-threatening inherited diseases.”

Bobby Gaspar, co-founder, and CEO of Orchard Therapeutics, said, “This is an exciting opportunity designed to accelerate the realization of our shared vision of ending the devastation caused by severe genetic diseases and deliver life-changing value in medical care. We remain as true to our mission as ever, and joining Kyowa Kirin’s global network ensures we are well-resourced to progress anticipated commercialization of OTL-200 in the U.S., if approved, continue investing in initiatives aimed at accelerating Libmeldy growth in Europe, capitalize on opportunities for global expansion, as well as advance our next-in-line neurometabolic programs in MPS disorders and earlier-stage research programs. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues at Kyowa Kirin to fully unlock the curative potential of HSC gene therapy for the benefit of patients and society.”