Investments and partnerships targeting next-generation blockbusters in immunology are accelerating, with AbbVie acquiring Apogee Therapeutics, Eli Lilly agreeing to acquire Merida Biosciences, and Boehringer Ingelheim entering into an AI-powered drug development collaboration with Owkin. The companies' core candidates and target diseases have emerged.
Global pharmaceutical companies are simultaneously pursuing investments worth trillions of yen to secure new immunology drugs. AbbVie has acquired Apogee Therapeutics for approximately $10.9 billion, centering the deal on an extended-half-life antibody targeting IL-13. By acquiring Merida Biosciences, Eli Lilly will gain technology that directly removes autoantibodies and is also considering expanding the range of target diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim has partnered with Owkin to discover new drugs using AI and patient data.
Apogee's acquisition hinges on the extended-half-life antibody zumilokibart mentioned above, with clinical data expected to demonstrate the potential for more convenient dosing intervals in asthma and atopic dermatitis. Merida's MER511 demonstrated an autoantibody-lowering effect in a Phase 1 clinical trial, while MER769 is in the preclinical stage. Owkin's K Pro is expected to accelerate the validation of hypotheses for drug candidates by combining AI with multimodal patient data.