This agreement, among the initial significant transactions in 2026, features a payment of $58.00 per share at completion, assessing the company’s total capital at roughly $2.2 billion. This figure notably exceeds RAPT’s closing market value on January 16, which stood at $35.10 per share.
The core of the transaction is ozureprubart, a prolonged preventative candidate for food allergies targeting IgE antibodies. GSK will secure worldwide marketing authorizations for the drug, excluding China, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong. Currently, ozureprubart is undergoing the Phase IIb prestIgE trial (NCT07220811), recruiting participants in the US, Australia, and Canada, with anticipated outcomes in 2027.
According to GSK, if authorized for managing food allergies, it has the potential to become “best in class” due to its singular quarterly dosage, distinguishing it from current treatments administered every two to four weeks.
RAPT’s stock price surged considerably following the agreement’s disclosure, hitting $57.41 in premarket activity, a rise from $35.10 at the close on January 16. GSK is counting on immunology as a promising sector for expansion, highlighted by a prior agreement with Hengrui Pharma valued at up to $12 billion, encompassing assets in immunology, respiratory health, and oncology. Among the pivotal medications in that agreement was the PDE3/4 inhibitor HRS-9821, under examination as a therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Moreover, the firm inked a five-year, £50 million ($54.3 million) collaborative research and development accord with the University of Cambridge in late 2024, purposed to devise novel therapies for ailments linked to immune system impairments.
The pharmaceutical sector is bracing for one of the largest impending “patent cliffs” in recent times, when several high-revenue drugs will forfeit market exclusivity by 2030. As per GlobalData, this could result in a deficit of up to $230 billion in the US market spanning from 2025 to 2030, compelling firms to seek methods to counterbalance the financial setbacks.
During the 44th annual JP Morgan Healthcare conference in 2026, GSK’s Chief Scientific Officer, Tony Wood, remarked that the business intends to depend on nascent research and development bolstered by AI to reinforce its product range and offset losses attributed to patent expirations.
The multi-billion dollar deal was revealed shortly after the conference, which was somewhat subdued compared to prior years, where agreements surpassing $1 billion encompassed only Boston Scientific’s procurement of Penumbra and Eli Lilly’s augmented alliance with NVIDIA. Regardless, market observers are upbeat concerning the possibilities for pharmaceutical deals in 2026. AbbVie initiated the year with a $5.6 billion licensing agreement with RemeGen, a Chinese company.
Source: Reuters