SANTA MONICA, Calif. & PHILADELPHIA — Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD), announced Monday that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Interius BioTherapeutics, a privately held biotech firm pioneering in vivo CAR therapies, in a transaction valued at $350 million.
The deal will fold Interius’s innovative in vivo platform into Kite’s established cell therapy portfolio. Unlike traditional CAR T-cell therapies — which require harvesting, engineering, and reinfusion of a patient’s cells — Interius’s technology generates CAR T-cells directly inside the patient through a single intravenous infusion. This approach aims to eliminate preconditioning chemotherapy and complex manufacturing, offering the potential for faster, more durable treatment.
“In vivo therapy is a promising frontier with the potential to transform how we approach treating patients, shifting to more accessible and scalable solutions,” said Cindy Perettie, Executive Vice President of Kite. “By combining Interius’s teams and their novel platform with Kite’s deep expertise and footprint in cell therapy research, development and manufacturing, we aim to advance best-in-class in vivo therapies to bring them to patients more efficiently.”
Phil Johnson, President and CEO of Interius BioTherapeutics, called the agreement a pivotal step for both companies. “This marks a pivotal step for Interius and the future of in vivo therapy, which has the potential to reduce treatment timelines, broaden access to care and improve outcomes for patients with aggressive or advanced disease,” Johnson said. “With the addition of Kite’s deep expertise and global infrastructure, we’re well-positioned to move quickly into multiple therapeutic areas, expand access to cell therapies and deliver meaningful innovation to patients.”
Interius’s modular platform is designed for adaptability across disease states and scalable production, which could allow therapies to reach patients previously unable to benefit from CAR T treatments. Following the acquisition, Interius’s team and operations will join Kite, with Philadelphia becoming a center of excellence for in vivo research.
Under the terms of the agreement, Kite will acquire all outstanding shares of Interius for $350 million in cash, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction is expected to reduce Gilead’s 2025 GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per share by approximately $0.23 to $0.25. Completion of the acquisition remains subject to regulatory clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other standard closing conditions.
TD Cowen served as exclusive financial advisor to Kite, while Evercore advised Interius. (Source: IANS)
