uniQure Inks Gene Therapy Acquisition Deal with Corlieve Therapeutics

Gene therapy company uniQure recently entered into a pharma acquisition deal with Corlieve Therapeutics to lead its program for temporal lobe epilepsy. 

The program, known as AMT-260, leverages miRNA silencing technology to target suppression of aberrantly expressed kainite receptors in the hippocampus of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. 

Corlieve was developed in collaboration with Christophe Mulle, PhD, CNRS research director at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Neurosciences, CRNS, University of Bordeaux, as well as Valerie Crepel, PhD, Inserm research director at Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée, INSERM, Aix-Marseille University, and REGENXBIO Inc. 

Under the acquisition, Mulle and Crepel will continue their collaborations with uniQure.

“The acquisition of Corlieve provides an extraordinary opportunity to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients around the world suffering from epilepsy and aligns with our vision of pursuing unmet medical needs for disorders that impact large populations and can be addressed with gene therapies directed to the CNS and liver,” Matt Kapusta, chief executive officer of uniQure, said in the announcement. 

According to Kapusta, the collaboration with Mulle and Crepel has led to “compelling preclinical results” in temporal lobe epilepsy that may strategically leverage uniQure’s leading position in developing and delivering gene therapies that employ miRNA silencing technology. 

Temporal lobe epilepsy affects nearly 1.3 million individuals in the US and Europe alone. About 800,000 individuals are unable to control acute seizures with currently approved anti-epileptic therapies, a uniQure spokesperson explained. 

Individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy experience increased morbidity, excess mortality, and poor quality of life. 

Under the terms of the agreement, uniQure will pay €46.3 million ($55.3 million) in an upfront payment cash to acquire Corlieve. 

Corlieve shareholders are eligible to receive €43.7 million ($52.2 million) in development milestones through Phase 1 and Phase 2, as well as €160 million ($191.2 million) in milestones associated with Phase 3 development and the approvals of AMT-260 in the US and EU. 

Additionally, Corlieve established a license and collaboration agreement with REGENXBIO that includes an exclusive license to AAV9 for the genetic target of AMT-260. 

Upon transaction closing, Richard Porter, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of Corlieve, will assume General Manager of the Corlieve subsidiary. 

 “As leaders in the field for miRNA gene therapy for neurological conditions, uniQure is the ideal long-term partner for us, and we look forward to working together to advance our program rapidly to the clinic for the benefit of the patients we serve,” Porter stated. 

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and review by the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Recovery pursuant to articles L.151-3 and R.151-1 seq. of the French Code Monétaire et Financier.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021.