GSK reaches $2.2bn deal to buy food allergy biotech RAPT

GSK has made its first major acquisition under new chief executive Luke Miels, buying US biotech RAPT Therapeutics to gain control of a promising therapy for food allergies.

Miels, formerly the chief commercial officer at GSK, who took over from Dame Emma Walmsley as the group's CEO at the start of this month, has made accelerating pipeline development a strategic priority, particularly in oncology, respiratory, and immunology/inflammation.

RAPT falls into the latter category, with an R&D portfolio headed by ozureprubart, which GSK has described as a potential best-in-class anti-IgE antibody for prophylactic protection against food allergens and is currently in Phase 2b testing.

If approved, it could be a rival to Genentech/Novartis' venerable anti-IgE drug Xolair (omalizumab), which had prevention of food allergies added to its label in the US two years ago. Lower-cost biosimilar versions of omalizumab have also started to reach the market.

According to RAPT, ozureprubart has the potential to be dosed by injection once every 12 weeks, compared to every two to four weeks for Xolair, which could be a major differentiator in food allergy treatment, given that it mostly affects children. In addition, the new antibody could be an option for around a quarter of food allergy patients who cannot be treated with the current drug.

"Ozureprubart offers the opportunity to bring sustained protection to patients and […] is consistent with our approach to acquire assets that address validated targets and where there is clear unmet medical need," said GSK's chief scientific officer, Tony Wood.

Results from the phase 2b prestIgE trial of ozureprubart as a monotherapy for food allergies is due in 2027, and a phase 3 trials programme that will be focused on both at-risk adult and paediatric populations. That group accounts for around 17 million people in the US alone, of whom 1.3 million are at risk of severe reactions, according to GSK.

GSK has agreed to pay $58 per RAPT share, with an upfront payment of $1.9 billion, that will give it global rights to ozureprubart with the exception of mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Ozureprubart was originally created and developed by China's Shanghai Jemincare Pharma, and is also being developed for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and asthma.

RAPT's CEO, Brian Wong, said becoming part of GSK "offers an attractive path forward for our programmes," which also include Hanmi-partnered CCR4 antagonist tivumecirnon, in phase 2 for gastric cancer, and a follow-up CCR4 in preclinical development as a potential therapy for inflammatory diseases.

The deal – one of a string of acquisitions in the pharma sector since the start of the year – is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.