Baxter buys SuppreMol in €200m deal

SuppreMol is involved in development of treatment options for autoimmune and allergic diseases.

Besides owning and operating SuppreMol’s Munich operations, Baxter will also own SuppreMol’s complete early-stage development portfolio of novel biologic immunoregulatory therapeutics for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, which focuses on the modulation of Fc receptor signaling pathways, an immune target with potential applications in autoimmune disorders.

Baxter BioScience president, Ludwig Hantson, Ph.D. said: "SuppreMol’s portfolio of novel investigational treatments complements and builds upon our leading and differentiated immunology portfolio, offering the opportunity to expand into new areas with significant market potential and unmet medical needs in autoimmune diseases."

SuppreMol’s pipeline includes lead candidate SM101, an investigational immunoregulatory treatment that has completed Phase 2a studies in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

SuppreMol presented Phase 2a data for SM101 during the American College of Rheumatology’s 2014 annual meeting, which exhibited a dose response in multiple endpoints among patients with SLE treated with either one of two different doses of SM101 for six months.

The pipeline also includes technologies with potential therapeutic applications in other autoimmune diseases as well as IgE-mediated allergic diseases.

Commenting on the deal, SuppreMol CEO Klaus Schollmeier, Ph.D. said: "Matching therapeutic innovation with market needs is challenging for biotech companies. Working with Baxter, a global immunology leader, is the ideal setting for SuppreMol’s promising therapeutic projects to deliver on our most ambitious goal to treat important autoimmune diseases and severe allergies."