Incyte announced on June 8 the acquisition of Vega Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Star Therapeutics, for up to $2 billion. The deal includes an upfront payment of $1.25 billion and potential milestone payments totaling $750 million. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.
Vega brings VGA039, a monoclonal antibody currently in Phase 3 development for von Willebrand disease (VWD), to Incyte’s hematology portfolio. VGA039 recently received rare pediatric disease and breakthrough therapy designations from the Food and Drug Administration for VWD. The ongoing VIVID-6 trial is evaluating the treatment in patients with all types of VWD, including severe cases.
Early data presented in December 2024 from three patients showed that VGA039 led to a substantial reduction in annualized bleeding rate, comparable to existing treatments for VWD. Incyte believes that while VWD is the initial indication, VGA039 could have value in other bleeding disorders as well due to its mechanism of modulating Protein S and improving control over bleeding.
Truist Securities said that the market opportunity for treating VWD could reach about 135,000 patients, with peak sales potentially reaching $1 billion by 2036. BMO Capital Markets analysts described VGA039 as a “pipeline in a product” with potential beyond VWD into conditions such as hemophilia A/B/C and suggested it could improve upon standard therapies like Takeda’s Vonvendi.
The acquisition follows Incyte’s purchase of Escient Pharmaceuticals in May 2024 for $750 million—a deal which later faced setbacks due to toxicology concerns leading to removal of INCB000262 from Incyte's pipeline. CEO Bill Meury said Monday, “VGA039 fits directly into our strategy of building a top-tier growth company for the future. It is a first-in-class, Phase 3 asset with compelling early data, a manageable development path and the potential to become an important new growth driver in one of our core therapeutic areas—hematology.”
Meury became CEO in 2025, with plans to identify new growth drivers ahead of Jakafi’s loss of exclusivity expected in 2028. Prior to this deal, BMO reported that Incyte had $4 billion cash available for acquisitions.
