(Reuters) -Drugmaker AbbVie is in talks to acquire privately-held mental health therapeutics company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth about $1 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. drugmaker has spent over $20 billion on acquisitions since 2023 as its flagship rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Humira, lost patent protection.
Gilgamesh is a clinical-stage company developing therapies for psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In May, AbbVie said it is partnering with Gilgamesh to develop therapies for psychiatric disorders, under which Gilgamesh could receive up to $1.95 billion in option fees and milestone payments.
Deliberations over the acquisition are ongoing and could be delayed or fall apart, Bloomberg News reported.
AbbVie and Gilgamesh did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh and Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi)
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com