GSK Acquires Private Biotech Firm Elsie Biotechnologies for $50 Mn

This move follows a successful research collaboration with Elsie, announced in July 2023, in which GSK was able to explore and validate the technology.

British Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline also known as GSK has acquired Elsie Biotechnologies, a San Diego-based private biotechnology company for up to $50 million.

Per deal, GSK will integrate Elsie’s oligonucleotide discovery, synthesis, and delivery technologies to enhance GSK’s platform R&D capabilities.

This move follows a successful research collaboration with Elsie, announced in July 2023, in which GSK was able to explore and validate the technology.

On the acquisition, Tony Wood, chief scientific officer, GSK, said, “We have already made great strides in oligonucleotide drug development through our work in chronic hepatitis B and steatotic liver disease, and are thrilled to work alongside the talented team at Elsie to accelerate a next-generation oligonucleotide platform. By bringing together Elsie’s expertise and our internal capabilities, we can design and develop oligonucleotides for difficult-to-treat diseases of scale with larger patient populations.”

The Partnership Goals

The acquisition aligns with GSK’s approach of uniting science and technology, including advancing novel platform technologies, to accelerate drug development for delivering novel medicines to patients.

Further, data generated with the Elsie platform, combined with GSK’s expertise in the use of AI and ML, will support the development of predictive models for future oligonucleotide design.

Expressing thoughts, Kevin Green, COO, Elsie, said, “We are thrilled to be a part of GSK and work alongside the talented R&D team dedicated to oligonucleotide drug development. We believe our platform will make significant contributions to the field and we believe GSK is the best partner to help advance this effort.”

Currently, GSK is advancing oligonucleotide therapeutics in chronic hepatitis B and steatotic liver disease as well as other therapeutic areas beyond liver disease.

Reportedly, this agreement is not subject to closing conditions and the acquisition has been completed.

Elsie is a private biopharmaceutical company dedicated to unlocking the full potential of oligonucleotide therapeutics by integrating discovery, development, and delivery to potentially increase potency, decrease toxicity, and optimize delivery.

Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham, GlaxoSmithKline, commonly known as GSK, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London. Currently, it is the tenth-largest pharmaceutical company in the world.

Earlier this year, GSK Plc acquired US biotech Aiolos Bio, an asthma drug maker, in a deal worth up to $1.4 billion. This acquisition is part of GSK’s strategy to boost its growing respiratory diseases portfolio.

This experimental drug is ready to enter mid-stage tests for adults with asthma, although the monoclonal antibody has potential in other diseases related to inflammation such as chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps, GSK.

GSK has been a leader in medicines that advance the management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for 50 years. They have also dedicated themselves to finding advanced treatments for HIV since the disease first began emerging in the early 1980s

GSK’s legacy includes several listed in the World Health Organisation’s List of Essential Medicines, such as amoxicillin, mercaptopurine, pyrimethamine, and zidovudine.