Novartis signs $7.8 billion deal with Abogen for mRNA-encoded autoimmune T-cell engager

Novartis announced it will pay $575 million upfront to Abogen Biosciences for an mRNA-encoded T-cell engager that has shown early clinical activity in autoimmune disease.

The agreement includes up to $7.2 billion in milestone payments, bringing the total potential value to about $7.8 billion.

The deal follows Novartis's recent pause of an autoimmune CAR-T program after three patient deaths, highlighting a shift toward in-vivo approaches that may offer safety or manufacturing advantages.

Abogen's candidate, ABO2203, is a lipid-nanoparticle mRNA that directs patients' cells to produce a CD19xCD3 bispecific T-cell engager, aiming to deplete B cells that drive disease. Early data in immune thrombocytopenia patients showed B-cell depletion without cytokine release syndrome, and a blood-cancer trial has provided additional pharmacokinetic and safety information.