Gilead Sciences and CymaBay Therapeutics announced today a definitive agreement under which Gilead will acquire CymaBay for $32.50 per share in cash or a total equity value of $4.3 billion.
The addition of CymaBay’s investigational lead product candidate, seladelpar for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) including pruritus, complements Gilead’s existing liver portfolio and aligns with its long-standing commitment to bringing transformational medicines to patients.
“We are looking forward to advancing seladelpar by leveraging Gilead’s long-standing expertise in treating and curing liver diseases,” said Daniel O’Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gilead Sciences. “Building on the strong research and development work by the CymaBay team to date, we have the potential to address a significant unmet need for people living with PBC and expand on our existing broad range of transformational therapies.”
PBC is a rare, chronic, cholestatic liver disease mainly affecting women (1 in 1,000 women over the age of 40 or about 130,000 total people in the U.S.) that impairs liver function and quality of life. The most common early symptoms of PBC are pruritus and fatigue, which can be debilitating for some patients. Progression of PBC is associated with an increased risk of liver-related mortality.
Seladelpar is an investigational, oral, selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) agonist, shown to regulate critical metabolic and liver disease pathways.
“Today’s agreement with Gilead is the culmination of years of focus and determination at CymaBay to advance seladelpar and bring new hope to people living with PBC and their families,” said Sujal Shah, President, and CEO at CymaBay Therapeutics. “Now that seladelpar has achieved priority review with the FDA, we are excited that Gilead, with its long-standing commitment to patients with liver disease, can apply its regulatory and commercial expertise to bring seladelpar as quickly as possible to people with PBC.”
👉 Gilead Sciences Expands Liver Portfolio With Acquisition of CymaBay Therapeutics (gilead.com)
