CSL Behring to acquire Canadian biotech company Vitaeris

Picking up on a 2017 option agreement, Australian biotech firm CSL Limited’s (ASX: CSL) CSL Behring unit late Monday said it is acquiring its privately-held Canadian collaboration partner.

For an undisclosed amount, CSL Behring will buy Vitaeris, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the Phase III development of clazakizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibody (MAB), for the potential treatment of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), the leading cause of long-term rejection in kidney transplant recipients.

With this acquisition, clazakizumab joins CSL842 and CSL964 as part of CSL Behring's portfolio of products in late-stage development to address significant unmet needs in the transplant community.