Novartis to Acquire Tourmaline Bio for $1.4 Billion

Novartis has agreed to acquire Tourmaline Bio Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing pacibekitug, an anti-IL-6 mAb, as a treatment option for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, for approximately $1.4 billion on a fully diluted basis.

Pacibekitug complements Novartis’ cardiovascular strategy by targeting IL-6, a key upstream cytokine that promotes systemic inflammation, thus addressing a critical unmet need. With Phase 2 trials already well advanced, Novartis will acquire a Phase 3 ready asset, which will complement its existing cardiovascular disease portfolio.

“With no widely adopted anti-inflammatory therapies currently available for cardiovascular risk reduction, pacibekitug represents a potential breakthrough in addressing residual inflammatory risk in ASCVD with a differentiated mechanism of action targeting IL-6,” said Shreeram Aradhye, President, Development and Chief Medical Officer, Novartis. “Inflammation is a major driver of cardiovascular disease, and the team at Tourmaline has made significant progress with this asset. We are excited to bring pacibekitug into the Novartis portfolio and collaborate with the Tourmaline team to advance its development as we diversify our efforts in cardiovascular care.”

Pacibekitug is an investigational anti-IL-6 IgG2 human monoclonal antibody designed to mitigate systemic inflammation implicated in ASCVD and has demonstrated high affinity binding to IL-6. The Phase 2 TRANQUILITY 90-day study results released earlier this year showed that pacibekitug reduced median high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels by 85% through day 90 at a dose of 15 mg once monthly and by 86% at a dose of 50 mg delivered quarterly, with overall incidence rates of adverse events and serious adverse events comparable to placebo. These promising results underscore the potential for pacibekitug to address the unmet need in cardiovascular care by targeting residual inflammatory risk more effectively than current therapies and with convenient once quarterly administration.

Under the terms of the transaction, Novartis will, through an indirect wholly owned subsidiary, commence a tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Tourmaline common stock.

Following completion of the tender offer, Novartis expects to merge the acquiring subsidiary with and into Tourmaline, resulting in Tourmaline becoming an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Novartis.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.

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