Eli Lilly will acquire the WUSTL-linked neurological disease therapy developer in a $135m deal that could top $1.2bn with milestone payments.
Eli Lilly has agreed to buy Disarm Therapeutics, a US-based neurological disease drug developer based on Washinton University in St Louis (WUSTL) research, for an upfront fee of $135m.
Disarm is working on treatments for neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that are intended to work by inhibiting the SARM1 protein, thought to be a prime driver of axonal degeneration in the early stages of such diseases.
The company was founded by venture capital firm Atlas Venture with Jeffrey Milbrandt and Aaron DiAntonio of WUSTL’s School of Medicine.
The transaction could potentially grow to more than $1.22bn taking into account future payments covering development, regulatory and commercial milestones resulting from Eli Lilly successfully developing or commercialising drugs based on the acquisition.
Atlas Venture led Disarm’s only disclosed funding round, a $30m series A in 2017 that included pharmaceutical firm AbbVie’s…
