Novartis bets $1.4B on anti-inflammatory heart drug in Tourmaline buyout

Novartis is acquiring Tourmaline Bio for $1.4 billion to secure pacibekitug, a promising antibody that significantly lowered inflammation markers in a phase 2 cardiovascular trial.

Why it matters: Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global killer, yet there's no widely adopted anti-inflammatory treatment. Pacibekitug could fill that gap with a novel mechanism targeting IL-6, potentially redefining risk management for millions.

Backstory: Originally developed by Pfizer, pacibekitug was licensed by Tourmaline in 2022. The drug recently impressed in the Tranquility phase 2 trial, showing up to 86% C-reactive protein reduction (a marker of systemic inflammation) in patients with chronic kidney disease, who are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Zoom in: Novartis paid $48/share, a 59% premium over Tourmaline’s last close. Tourmaline’s pacibekitug is also being tested for thyroid eye disease and was previously explored for Crohn’s, lupus, and RA.

Big picture: This move deepens Novartis’ cardiovascular portfolio and reflects pharma's growing interest in inflammation as a therapeutic target. It follows other Novartis deals to bolster heart health R&D, including recent partnerships with Argo Biopharmaceutical and ProFound Therapeutics.

Existing pipeline: Novartis already has a strong presence in cardiovascular disease markets with its approved drugs Leqvio and Entresto, and is also advancing its antisense oligonucleotide drug pelacarsen towards approval.