British pharmaceutical giant GSK is in advanced negotiations to acquire IDRx, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company, in a deal valued at approximately $1 billion. The announcement is expected to coincide with the upcoming JP Morgan healthcare conference in San Francisco next week.
The Cambridge-headquartered IDRx, which secured £120 million in funding last August from prominent investors including Blackstone and Andreessen Horowitz, specialises in developing pioneering treatments for rare gastrointestinal tumours. This strategic acquisition aligns with GSK’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its oncology portfolio under the leadership of Dame Emma Walmsley.
The move represents a significant step in GSK’s oncology rebuilding strategy, following the 2015 sale of its marketed oncology drugs to Novartis under previous leadership. The company re-entered the market through its £5 billion acquisition of American oncology specialist Tesaro in 2019.
GSK’s recent focus has centred on antibody drug conjugates, an innovative class of cancer treatments that specifically target cancer cells for chemotherapy delivery. Sir Tony Wood, GSK’s chief scientific officer, recently showcased this portfolio to investors, highlighting assets acquired from China’s Hansoh Pharma and the blood cancer drug Blenrep, which shows potential for annual sales exceeding £3 billion by 2031.
The company’s third-quarter oncology drug sales reached $373 million, reflecting its growing presence in the sector. This acquisition would further strengthen GSK’s position in the highly competitive pharmaceutical market, where it currently trails behind its British counterpart AstraZeneca.
The deal’s financing has been bolstered by proceeds from the separation of Haleon, GSK’s consumer healthcare business, which recently listed on the London Stock Exchange. GSK’s shares closed at £13.60p, showing a modest increase of 2½p or 0.18 per cent.
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