Johnson & Johnson has partnered with Flagship Pioneering’s Sail Biomedicines to advance in vivo CAR T therapies for immune-mediated conditions in a deal worth up to $925 million initially, according to a July 30 announcement. The agreement includes $785 million in initial payments from Johnson & Johnson, which features a $465 million equity investment into Sail. Additionally, Sail could receive up to $140 million based on development milestones. The partnership also grants Johnson & Johnson an exclusive option to acquire Sail for $2.58 billion at a later date.
The partnership is described as “an important step for JNJ’s Immunology R&D efforts,” according to Leerink, who communicated this view in a note to investors. Leerink also said the potential acquisition could occur “in the near term,” referencing Johnson & Johnson’s statement that projected the buyout might impact earnings outcomes this year and next year. However, no timeline has been set by the company regarding when or if an acquisition will take place.
Sail Biomedicines brings a proprietary platform designed to deliver genetic instructions directly into target cells, enabling patients’ bodies to produce their own CAR T constructs internally. According to its website, Sail differentiates itself from other companies developing in vivo CAR T therapies through its use of endless RNA technology, which maintains protein expression longer than conventional mRNA approaches.
Endless RNA technology “has the potential to improve dose potency and support superior therapeutic activity across a broader range of diseases and protein types,” according to claims made by Sail Biomedicines. Through this collaboration, Johnson & Johnson aims to develop new treatments for immune-mediated diseases but has not yet specified which diseases will be targeted.
As part of the agreement announced Wednesday afternoon, both companies will work together on advancing Sail’s lead program focused on autoimmune diseases; further details about this program have not been disclosed so far.
Johnson & Johnson is already active in the CAR T field with Carvykti—an FDA-approved therapy for multiple myeloma developed alongside Legend Biotech—which generated $657 million in second-quarter sales and nearly 50% growth compared with last year. However, until now the company had not publicly announced any clinical-stage candidates using an in vivo approach like that offered by Sail.
