Author: hannahhess

• Acquisition adds potential novel oral peptide IL23R inhibitor for psoriasis as well as a peptide synthesis, screening and optimization platform to strengthen AbbVie’s pipeline and R&D capabilities

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Nimble Therapeutics. With the completion of the acquisition, Nimble is now a part of AbbVie.

Nimble’s lead asset is an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of psoriasis. Additionally, Nimble’s peptide synthesis, screening, and optimization platform uses proprietary technology to help drive rapid discovery and optimization of oral peptide candidates for a range of targets.

“With the acquisition now complete, we are excited to expand our immunology pipeline to include Nimble’s novel oral peptide assets and look forward to integrating this proprietary technology into our R&D capabilities,” said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head of discovery research, AbbVie. “We are pleased to welcome the talented team at Nimble who share our commitment to elevating the standard of care for people living with autoimmune diseases.”

For additional background on the acquisition, please read the announcement press release here.

About AbbVie 

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

Forward Looking Statements 

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie’s operations is set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of AbbVie’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE AbbVie

For further information: Media: Lindsay Cangemi, lindsay.cangemi@abbvie.com; Investors: Liz Shea, liz.shea@abbvie.com

• Proposed acquisition adds Nimble’s lead asset, an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor in preclinical development for psoriasis, and a pipeline of other novel oral peptide assets across autoimmune diseases where significant unmet needs remain
• Acquisition also allows AbbVie to utilize Nimble’s proprietary peptide synthesis platform to enable the discovery and optimization of oral peptide therapeutics

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. and MADISON, Wis. Dec. 13, 2024 – AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) and Nimble Therapeutics today announced a definitive agreement under which AbbVie will acquire Nimble, including its lead asset, an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor in preclinical development for the treatment of psoriasis and a pipeline of other novel oral peptide candidates with potential across several autoimmune diseases. Additionally, AbbVie will acquire Nimble’s peptide synthesis, screening, and optimization platform, which uses proprietary technology to help drive rapid discovery and optimization of peptide candidates for a range of targets.

“The addition of Nimble’s pipeline to AbbVie’s existing pipeline, combined with our deep clinical and translational expertise in immunology, represents an important growth opportunity,” said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head of discovery research, AbbVie. “Together, AbbVie and Nimble have the potential to help address the significant unmet medical need for people living with autoimmune diseases.”

“Nimble Therapeutics is committed to transforming the discovery of oral peptide-based medicines. With AbbVie’s world-class expertise in developing and commercializing medicines on a global scale, Nimble’s novel oral therapies will be well-positioned to reach more people living with autoimmune diseases,” said Jigar Patel, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer, Nimble Therapeutics. “The talented, passionate and dedicated team at Nimble has made great progress over the past few years and we are pleased that AbbVie has recognized the tremendous potential of our proprietary platform and emerging immunology pipeline.”

Nimble’s preclinical-stage IL23R inhibitor is an investigational oral therapy for the treatment of psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IL23R is a clinically validated therapeutic target in certain autoimmune diseases and a major contributing factor to psoriasis and IBD pathogenesis and progression through increased inflammation and amplified immune responses.

Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will make a cash payment of $200 million at closing to acquire Nimble, subject to certain customary adjustments, in addition to certain interim funding payments. Nimble’s shareholders remain eligible for a potential payment, subject to the achievement of a development milestone. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott- Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

Nimble is backed by founding investors Telegraph Hill Partners and Roche Ventures.

About AbbVie 

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. AbbVie strives to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience, and eye care – and products and services in AbbVie’s Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

About Nimble Therapeutics

Nimble is a biotechnology company dedicated to delivering on the promise of oral peptide therapeutics. Leveraging a paradigm-shifting peptide drug discovery and development engine, Nimble is advancing its internal pipeline and continues to support several partnered programs. The Nimble platform combines massively parallel solid-phase synthesis, unrivaled chemical and structural diversity, sophisticated assays, and powerful machine learning and computational methods. Nimble is located in Madison, WI and Philadelphia, PA.

No Offer or Solicitation

This press release is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer, invitation or the solicitation of an offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project” and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie’s operations is set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of AbbVie’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Forward looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward looking statements, and AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

AbbVie Contacts
Media: 
Lindsay Cangemi
lindsay.cangemi@abbvie.com 

Investors:  
Liz Shea
liz.shea@abbvie.com

Nimble Therapeutics Contacts 
Media/Investors: 
Bradley Garcia II, Ph.D.
info@nimbletherapeutics.com

MADISON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nimble Therapeutics today announced the formation of the Nimble Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to support the company’s mission to create orally delivered peptide therapeutics to treat immune-mediated diseases. The SAB is composed of leading experts from multiple disciplines including drug discovery, translational immunology, oral peptide delivery and dermatology, and will work closely with the leadership team at Nimble to progress the company’s pipeline into clinical development.

“We are honored to have these extraordinary scientific leaders join Nimble in its mission to create oral therapeutics to treat patients with immune-mediated diseases,” said Pete Gough, CSO of Nimble Therapeutics. “Each SAB member brings their unique experience and deep expertise to the table, and their collective input and advice will be invaluable in shaping the future scientific direction of the company.”

“Nimble’s unique platform to rapidly generate oral peptides that can be applied to previously challenging-to-drug targets is incredibly impressive and positions Nimble to be the premier organization in the field,” said Joel Barrish, Ph.D., President & CEO at Avilar Therapeutics. “I am excited to be working with the Nimble team to continue building their science and pipeline to bring these next-generation therapeutics to patients in need.”

Nimble Scientific Advisory Board Members

Joel Barrish, Ph.D., is a Venture Partner at RA Capital focusing on new company creation in addition to his role at Avilar Therapeutics. Prior to his current roles, Joel was co-founder, President & CSO at Jnana Therapeutics and EVP & CSO at Achillion Pharmaceuticals, where he led research efforts on Factor D inhibitors leading to the discovery of vemircopan in hematology and nephrology. Most of Joel’s career was spent as a medicinal chemist in pharma, primarily at BMS where he was VP & Global Head of Discovery Chemistry. During his time there, Joel led teams responsible for advancing more than 50 compounds into clinical development including SPRYCEL® (dasatinib) in CML which he co-invented, as well as SOTYKTU® (deucravacitinib) for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Joel was also instrumental in developing the dual-acting endothelin angiotensin receptor antagonist (DARA) concept which resulted in FILSPARI® (sparsentan) for the treatment of IgA Nephropathy. He is a co- author on over 140 publications and co-inventor on 40 issued U.S. patents.

David Brayden, Ph.D. is Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery at University College Dublin (UCD) School of Veterinary Medicine and a Senior Fellow of the UCD Conway Institute. David is a Co-Principal Investigator of the Science Foundation Ireland Centre Medical Devices and is the coordinator of BUCCAL-PEP, an EU Horizon Consortium working on buccal peptide delivery. David is the author or co-author of more than three hundred research publications and patents in peptide and protein delivery. In 2021 he was appointed the first Chief Editor of Frontiers in Drug Delivery. David was elected as a Fellow of the CRS (2012) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (2017), and as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (2024). He was appointed by the Minister of Health as Chairperson of Ireland’s National Research Ethics Clinical Trials Committee D in 2024.

Joel Gelfand, M.D. M.S.C.E. is the James J. Leyden Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He is a globally recognized expert in psoriasis, clinical epidemiology, drug safety, and clinical trials. Dr. Gelfand is the author of over 330 scientific publications, editorials, reviews, and textbook chapters. He is a past Associate Editor of Pharmaco-epidemiology and Drug Safety and is currently Deputy Editor for Clinical Research of the Journal Investigative Dermatology. He is the recipient of many awards and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. His research redefined psoriasis as a systemic inflammatory disease that enhances the risk of cardiovascular events and premature mortality resulting in changes in standard of care guidelines. The overarching goal of his research and clinical practice is to improve psoriasis patient outcomes in the skin and joints, while lowering the risk of diabetes, CV disease and mortality.

Luisa Salter-Cid, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientific officer (CSO) at Pioneering Medicines, where she is responsible for spearheading a portfolio of groundbreaking treatments. Dr. Salter-Cid is a highly respected scientist, and drug discovery and development leader, with more than 20 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Luisa was previously the CSO at Gossamer Bio, and spent more than a decade at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where she most recently served as Vice President and Head of Immunology, Small Molecule Immuno-Oncology and Genomics Discovery. At BMS she oversaw the development of several therapeutics for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Luisa is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Anaptys, GPCR, Imimidomics and Attovia, and was previously on the SAB of Prometheus, Ambrx and Ventyx Bio and on the Board of Directors of Jounce Therapeutics. She has authored over 90 publications and patents.

Tomi Sawyer, Ph.D. is Founding Chief Drug Hunter and President of Maestro Therapeutics. Previously, Tomi was a Distinguished Scientist at Merck & Company, Founding Chief Scientific Officer at Aileron Therapeutics and Senior Vice-President of Drug Discovery at Ariad Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda). He is a peptide, peptidomimetic, de novo nonpeptide, small molecule and natural product drug hunter and has contributed to the discovery of three marketed drugs (Scenesse®, Iclusig® and Ridaforolimus), a Phase II clinical candidate (ALRN-6924) and past preclinical development of renin inhibitors, HIV protease inhibitors, Src SH2 antagonists and dual Src/Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitors. Tomi is credited with >600 scientific publications, patents, and presentations.

About Nimble Therapeutics

Nimble is a biotechnology company dedicated to delivering on the promise of oral peptide therapeutics. Leveraging a paradigm-shifting peptide drug discovery and development engine, Nimble is advancing its internal pipeline and continues to support several partnered programs. The Nimble platform combines massively parallel solid-phase synthesis, unrivaled chemical and structural diversity, sophisticated assays, and powerful machine learning and computational methods. Nimble is located in Madison, WI and Philadelphia, PA.

Contacts
Nimble Therapeutics, Inc.
Bradley Garcia II, Ph.D.
Vice President, Corporate Development info@nimbletherapeutics.com