GSK has agreed to acquire London and San Francisco-based clinical biopharmaceutical company, Aiolos Bio, for $1.4bn (£1.1bn).

The firm, which was founded in 2023 and focuses on addressing the unmet treatment needs of patients with certain respiratory and inflammatory conditions, will provide GSK with access to AIO-001, a potentially best-in-class, long-acting anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) monoclonal antibody, which is ready to enter phase two clinical development for the treatment of adults patients with asthma.

The antibody was exclusively licensed to Aiolos outside of Greater China by Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals.

As part of the deal, GSK will pay $1bn (£800m) upfront and up to $400 (£310m) in certain success-based regulatory milestone payments.

Chief scientific officer at GSK, Tony Wood, said: "We have a proud heritage and deep development expertise in respiratory medicines, especially addressing diseases driven by IL-5 with high levels of eosinophils or high T2 inflammation. Adding AIO-001, a potentially best-in-class medicine targeting the TSLP pathway, could expand the reach of our current respiratory biologics portfolio, including to the 40% of severe asthma patients with low T2 inflammation where treatment options are still needed.”

Chief executive officer at Aiolos Bio, Khurem Farooq, added: "We believe that this transaction speaks to the high potential of our long-acting anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody, AIO-001. By uniting with GSK, a leader with decades of experience developing respiratory therapies and a shared commitment to improving patient lives, we're confident that we can rapidly advance this therapy in the hopes of significantly reducing the treatment burden for patients."

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