USA—American pharmaceutical leader AbbVie has announced an acquisition agreement to purchase Aliada Therapeutics, a private biotech firm, for US$1.4 billion in cash.

This purchase grants AbbVie access to Aliada’s advanced Alzheimer’s therapy candidate, ALIA-1758, along with its unique brain-targeting technology.

 AbbVie’s move follows competitor Eli Lilly’s recent success in securing U.S. FDA approval for a groundbreaking Alzheimer’s treatment, Kisunla.

Aliada Therapeutics, based in Boston, specializes in therapies aimed at central nervous system (CNS) diseases and is pioneering the use of an innovative blood-brain barrier (BBB) crossing technology.

 This approach allows the precise delivery of therapeutic molecules into the brain—a challenge that has long hindered effective CNS treatments.

At the core of Aliada’s pipeline is its lead asset, ALIA-1758, an investigational anti-pyroglutamate amyloid beta (3pE-Aβ) antibody currently in Phase 1 clinical trials to assess safety and tolerability in healthy participants (NCT06406348).

ALIADA-1758 is designed to target and reduce amyloid beta plaques, a central feature of Alzheimer’s pathology.

 This investigational drug employs Aliada’s proprietary Modular Delivery (MODEL™) platform, which is engineered for targeted CNS drug delivery.

 The platform’s novel BBB-crossing method capitalizes on transferrin and CD98 receptors, both highly expressed on brain endothelial cells, to transport biological therapies across the blood-brain barrier.

This unique approach aims to deliver multiple types of therapeutic “cargoes”—including antibodies and genetic medicines such as siRNA—directly into the brain.

Under the terms of the acquisition, AbbVie will acquire all of Aliada’s outstanding equity, with closing expected by the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.

Roopal Thakkar, M.D., executive vice president of research and development and chief scientific officer at AbbVie, emphasized that neuroscience is a significant growth area for the company.

 Thakkar noted that AbbVie is committed to advancing treatments for severe neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s.

 “This acquisition positions us to advance ALIA-1758 as a potentially best-in-class, disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s,” Thakkar stated.

He added that Aliada’s innovative BBB technology strengthens AbbVie’s R&D capabilities, potentially accelerating the development of next-generation therapies for neurological and other conditions that require effective CNS drug delivery.

Michael Ryan, M.D., Aliada’s chief medical officer, also expressed enthusiasm over the acquisition.

He highlighted AbbVie’s commitment to progressing ALIA-1758 to provide Alzheimer’s patients with much-needed therapeutic options.

Ryan remarked that their MODEL™ platform represents a significant step forward in delivering anti-amyloid therapies to the brain, addressing the fundamental issue of effective drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier.

 He added that this acquisition could transform the treatment of neurological diseases by enabling precise targeting of therapies within the brain.

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