GSK Buys Liver-Disease Treatment From Boston Pharmaceuticals for Up to $2 Billion - Update

By Helena Smolak

GSK will acquire a liver-disease treatment from Boston Pharmaceuticals for up to $2 billion as it seeks to boost its pipeline of new drugs.

The British pharma giant said Wednesday that it will pay the U.S. biotech company $1.2 billion upfront, with a further $800 million in potential success-based milestone payments.

The drug is currently in late-stage trials, with a potential market launch in 2029. It aims to treat a form of liver disease characterized by inflammation and damage caused by a build-up of fat. GSK said the drug is also being explored for use in alcohol-related liver disease, and that mid-stage data has shown potential to reverse liver fibrosis and halt disease progression.

Unlike current daily tablet treatments, efimosfermin is designed to be administered as a monthly shot. GSK plans to develop it both as a monotherapy--which uses one type of treatment--and in combination with its own experimental liver-disease therapies.

The move comes as GSK faces pressure to replenish its pipeline, with some of its top-selling drugs nearing the end of their exclusivity periods. It follows the company's acquisition of U.S. biotech IDRx earlier this year to expand into gastrointestinal cancer treatments.

Efimosfermin was originally licensed by Boston Pharmaceuticals from Novartis in 2020. GSK will also make milestone payments and tiered royalty payments to the Swiss drugmaker.

Write to Helena Smolak at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

05-14-25 0701ET