India Pharma Outlook Team | Monday, 25 August 2025
AbbVie completed the purchase of Capstan Therapeutics further bolstering its advanced cell and gene therapies position. Capstan is now officially a part of AbbVie.
Capstan's lead product being developed for B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, CPTX2309, is currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials. CPTX2309 is a targeted lipid nanoparticle (tLNP) that generate CD19-specific, CD8+ in vivo CAR-T cells.
CAR-T cells that are engineered for rapid and deep B cell depletion to durably and drug-free remission. Unlike traditional ex vivo CAR-T therapies, CPTX2309 does not require lymphodepleting chemotherapy to produce in vivo CAR-T cells, making it a potentially safer and accessible treatment option.
"We are excited to have completed the acquisition and move forward with the talented Capstan team in order to deliver on our mission to improve patient care," said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head of discovery research, AbbVie. "The addition of CPTX2309 and Capstan's proprietary tLNP platform strengthens our capability to reset the immune system and widen in vivo cell programming applications."
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The acquisition is consistent with AbbVie's ongoing investment strategy focused on diversifying its assets post-Humira losing the patent exclusivity it had enjoyed following the launch of the blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug. In August, AbbVie announced it was investing USD 195 million to expand its manufacturing capabilities for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in North Chicago. In July, AbbVie was negotiating the acquisition of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, a mental health therapeutics company, for approximately USD 1 billion.
AbbVie has invested more than USD 20 billion on acquisitions in 2023 alone, which is a strong indicator of innovation and long-term investment in immunology, oncology, neuroscience and emerging therapeutic platforms.
