BioNTech Completes Acquisition of Kite’s Neoantigen TCR Cell Therapy R&D Platform and Manufacturing Facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland
August 04 2021 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) and Kite, a Gilead
Company (Nasdaq: GILD, “Kite”) today announced the closing of the
acquisition of the solid tumor neoantigen T cell receptor (TCR)
R&D platform and clinical manufacturing facility’s assets and
leases in Gaithersburg, MD, from Kite. The transaction was
announced on July 19, 2021.
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the full release here:
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The acquisition strengthens BioNTech’s cell therapy pipeline by
accelerating the individualized solid tumor Neoantigen TCR cell
therapy research and development program. It also expands the
Company’s cell therapy capabilities and manufacturing footprint in
North America, building on its acquisition of Neon Therapeutics in
2020. With three acquisitions completed in the last 14 months,
BioNTech confirms its strategy of complementing organic growth
through targeted acquisitions that expand its capabilities and
accelerate development of its broad immunotherapy pipeline.
All Kite employees at the Gaithersburg facility were offered
employment with BioNTech prior to closing. The plant will be fully
integrated into BioNTech’s US-operations and the global
manufacturing network.
About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation
immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and
other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of
computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the
rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio
of oncology product candidates includes individualized and
off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen
receptor T cells, bispecific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted
cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise
in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing
capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing
multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases
alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a
broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical
collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health,
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun
Pharma and Pfizer. For more information, please visit
www.BioNTech.de.
About Kite
Kite, a Gilead Company, is a global biopharmaceutical company
based in Santa Monica, California, with commercial manufacturing
operations in North America and Europe. Kite’s singular focus is
cell therapy to treat and potentially cure cancer. As the cell
therapy leader, Kite has more approved CAR T indications to help
more patients than any other company. For more information on Kite,
please visit www.kitepharma.com.
About Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has
pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three
decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all
people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines
to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV,
viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35
countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City,
California.
Gilead and Kite Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. These
and other risks, uncertainties and other factors are described in
detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended March 31, 2021, as filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors
could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred
to in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than
statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed
forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and involve risks and uncertainties and are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All
forward-looking statements are based on information currently
available to Kite and Gilead, and Kite and Gilead assume no
obligation and disclaim any intent to update any such
forward-looking statements.
BioNTech Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” of
BioNTech within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include,
but may not be limited to, express or implied statements regarding
the expected impact of the acquisition on BioNTech’s business; the
creation of long-term value for BioNTech shareholders; potential
synergies between BioNTech and the acquired Kite assets; and
BioNTech’s global expansion strategy. Any forward-looking
statements in this press release are based on BioNTech management’s
current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in
or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the reaction of
third parties to the proposed merger, the retention of employees at
the acquired sites, BioNTech’s plans with respect to the acquired
assets, the future growth of BioNTech’s business and the
possibility that integration following the proposed acquisition may
be more difficult than expected, uncertainties related to the
initiation, timing and conduct of studies and other development
requirements for the acquired TCR product candidates; the risk that
any one or more of the acquired product candidates will not be
successfully developed and commercialized; the risk that the
results of preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be
predictive of future results in connection with future studies or
trials; and risks related to BioNTech’s ability to protect and
maintain the acquired intellectual property position.
For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see
BioNTech’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the Year Ended December
31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 30, 2021, which is available
on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. All information in this press
release is as of the date of the release, and BioNTech undertakes
no duty to update this information unless required by law.
Kite, the Kite logo and GILEAD are trademarks
of Gilead Sciences, Inc. or its related companies.
For more information on Kite, please visit the
company’s website at www.kitepharma.com or call Gilead Public Affairs
at 1-800-GILEAD-5 or 1-650-574-3000. Follow Kite on social media on
Twitter (@KitePharma) and LinkedIn.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210804005519/en/
BIONTECH CONTACTS: Sylke Maas, Ph.D., Investors +49
(0)6131 9084 1074 Investors@biontech.de
Jasmina Alatovic, Media +49 (0)6131 9084 1513
Media@biontech.de
KITE CONTACTS: Jacquie Ross, Investors (650) 358-1054
Mary Lynn Carver, Media (410) 443-1853
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