CSL Behring to acquire stem cell therapy biotech firm

Blood products and vaccines specialist CSL Behring, a subsidiary of Australia’s CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), has agreed to acquire Calimmune, a US biotechnology company focused on the development of ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy with R&D facilities in Pasadena, California, and Sydney, Australia, for an upfront payment of $91 million.

In addition to the upfront payment, the agreement between the parties includes the potential for performance based milestone payments of up to $325 million over a period currently anticipated to be around eight years or more following the closing of the transaction. The transaction is expected to close within the next two weeks, subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions.

The acquisition will provide CSL Behring with Calimmune's pre-clinical asset, CAL-H, an HSC gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, which complements CSL Behring's current product portfolio and deep expertise in hematology.