Altavant Sciences has announced its acquisition of Onspira Therapeutics, which apparently had a single candidate in its pipeline: OSP-101, an inhaled interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. In August 2018, the FDA granted Orphan Drug designation to OSP-101 for the treatment of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). According to Altavant, the deal included an upfront payment as well as potential milestones and royalty payments.
As of December 2019, Altavant Sciences is a subsidiary of a new company called Sumitovant Biopharma, which was created when Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma acquired five companies from Roivant. That deal did not include Roivant’s Respivant, which is developing an inhaled cromolyn sodium inhalation solution for IPF cough.
Altavant CEO William T. Symonds said, “Adding OSP-101 to our pipeline creates significant value for Altavant, while also furthering our mission to develop drugs for patients with very serious and rare lung diseases. Although a majority of lung transplant recipients develop this life-threatening condition, there are no treatments approved specifically for BOS and the current therapies have limited efficacy.”
Onspira Therapeutics CEO Brian Lortie commented, “I am proud of the achievements of the entire Onspira Therapeutics team as we have progressed the OSP-101 program. We have been impressed by the talented and experienced professionals at Altavant, and we are confident that they are the right team to develop OSP-101 for the treatment of post-lung transplant BOS. This is an important program to bring forward for the benefit of lung transplant patients, and we believe Altavant is well-positioned to achieve this goal.”
Read the Altavant Sciences press release.
