Sanofi focuses on rare diseases and buys Inhibrx for $2.2bn

Five years after the purchase of the US-based Synthorx, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is setting its sights on rare diseases and acquiring Inhibrx, another US pharmaceutical company. The La Jolla, California-based company's trump card: Inbrx-101, a promising therapy against alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (Aatd), an orphan hereditary disease that damages the lungs. Under the terms of the deal - worth a total of around $2.2 billion - Sanofi will acquire Inhibrx after spinning off its 'non-Inbrx-101' business into New Inhibrx, in which Sanofi will retain an 8 per cent stake.

Inbrx-101 is a human recombinant protein that promises patients with Aatd, a disease characterised by low levels of the Aat protein, to normalise them with monthly instead of weekly dosing. Inbrx-101 would help reduce inflammation and prevent further impairment of lung function. Phase 1 clinical trials have been successfully completed and enrolment for phase 2 is ongoing. The agreement was unanimously approved by the Boards of the two companies. New Inhibrx will continue to operate under the name Inhibrx, led by founder and CEO Mark P. Lappe as president and chief executive officer.