GSK agreed to buy Aiolos Bio, spending as much as US$1.4 billion to gain a promising respiratory medicine.

Closely held Aiolos has an experimental drug 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 said on Tuesday (Jan 9). 

The transaction would broaden the reach of GSK’s portfolio of respiratory medicines. Chief executive officer Emma Walmsley said she’s looking for such acquisitions to keep up the “tremendous momentum” she sees heading into 2024.

GSK will pay US$1 billion upfront and the rest in potential regulatory milestones, it said. The UK drugmaker will also be responsible for success-based payments and tiered royalties owed to Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, which has licensed Aiolos’s lead medicine, called AIO-001. BLOOMBERG