The pharma acquisition deal will provide Johnson & Johnson with the opportunity to broaden its expertise in immune-mediated diseases and expand into autoantibody-driven disease.Johnson & Johnson recently announced that it signed a $6.5 billion pharma acquisition deal with Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company that discovers novel therapies for immune-mediated diseases.

The company stated that this acquisition provides an opportunity for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson to broaden its expertise in immune-mediated diseases and drive further growth through expansion into autoantibody-driven disease.

The transaction will give Johnson & Johnson full global rights to nipocalimab (M281), a clinically validated, potentially best-in-class anti-FcRn antibody.

Nipocalimab gives Johnson & Johnson the chance to reach substantially more patients by providing a treatment option for individuals with unmet medical needs, such as maternal-fetal disorders, neuro-inflammatory disorders, rheumatology, dermatology, and autoimmune hematology, the company stated.

“This acquisition broadens Janssen’s leadership in autoimmune diseases and provides us with a major catalyst for sustained growth. Autoantibody-driven diseases are often serious, and patients are underserved by current treatment options," Jennifer Taubert, executive vice president and worldwide chairman of pharmaceuticals at Johnson & Johnson, said in the announcement.  

“We’re excited by the opportunity to further advance patient care by combining Johnson & Johnson’s world-class R&D, commercial and supply chain capabilities with Momenta’s talented people, pipeline and deep expertise in this important area.”

FDA recently granted Nipocalimab a rare pediatric disease designation.

Momenta’s expertise in neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) mechanisms is vital for nipocalimab because it accelerates the development of a medicine designed to target a number of autoantibody-driven conditions across several of Janssen’s established therapeutic areas, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said.

Janssen expects nipocalimab to help the company reach its goals of achieving above-market growth over the mid and long term.

Additionally, the company will have the potential to introduce launches, many as first-in-class indications with potential for peak year sales of over $1 billion.

“Nipocalimab, and the rest of Momenta’s pipeline, built over many years by outstanding scientists who have turned important insights into actionable biology, expands and complements our portfolio by giving us clinical-stage and discovery-stage compounds in autoantibody biological pathways,” said Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, global head of janssen research & development, Johnson & Johnson.

“Combining Momenta’s discoveries with our 20-year heritage in immunology, global scope, and scientific and medical expertise, we see a real opportunity to create an entire ‘pipeline in a pathway. We are excited about the significant potential to expand on Momenta’s excellent progress in rare diseases, and to increase our impact on patients both within and beyond our current focus areas.”