Novartis AG to buy immunology specialist Calypso Biotech BV

Upon closure, the US$425m take-over of the Amsterdam-headquartered Calypso Biotech NV, would give Novartis AG full commercialisation rights to CALY-002, an antibody that blocks interleukin-15 (IL-15). IL15 controls an immune axis that controls barrier function and downstream immune cascades in many chronic autoimmune diseases such as viteligo, atopic dermatitis, but also primary sclerosing choliangitis, arthritis, or type I diabetes. Novartis intends to explore CALY-002 across a wide variety of autoimmune indications with high unmet medical need. Currently, CALY-002 is evaluated in a Phase Ib trial in patients with celiac disease and eosinophilic esophagitis.

Calypso Biotch has been spun-out by Merck Serono in 2013 as specialist for inflammatory bowel diseases and other immunological indications, where the goal is to reduce inflammation and prevent tissue destruction. Tissue-resident memory cells and other cells of the innate immune system that are controlled by IL-15 play an important role in the onset and maintenance of a large number of auto-immune, inflammatory and immune-metabolic diseases through control of Natural Killer cells and Memory T cells critically involved in disease onset and maintenance, as well as tissue destruction.

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