Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of Decibel Therapeutics, Inc., strengthening the company’s gene therapy and auditory programs.
The acquisition of Decibel builds on prior collaboration between the companies and includes three ongoing gene therapy programs targeting different forms of congenital, monogenic hearing loss. The most advanced clinical-stage candidate is DB-OTO, which is currently being studied in the global Phase 1/2 CHORDTM clinical trial, and is an investigational cell-selective, adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy designed to provide durable, physiological hearing to individuals with profound, congenital hearing loss caused by mutations of the otoferlin gene. Preclinical programs include AAV.103 for people with GJB2-related hearing loss and AAV.104 for people with stereocilin (STRC)-related hearing loss.
“After several years of successful collaboration, the integration of Decibel’s programs, capabilities and accomplished team will further bolster Regeneron’s genetic medicines portfolio and advance our mission of helping patients around the globe,” said CEO Leonard S. Schleifer. “We will continue to strategically deploy capital by selectively pursuing deals that secure access to novel technologies and approaches that are complementary to our technologies, portfolio and strengths in research.”
The tender offer by Regeneron for shares of Decibel expired one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Friday, September 22. Computershare, the depository and paying agent for the tender offer, advised
Regeneron that as of the tender offer expiration, a total of 19,797,530 shares had been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn, representing, together with the shares held by Regeneron, approximately 86.1% of the outstanding shares.
REGN shares regressed $2.99 to begin Monday at $821.85.
