Baxter said Wednesday that it acquired AesRx, obtaining the latter’s experimental prophylactic treatment for sickle cell disease Aes-103 (5-hydroxymethylfurfural). Although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, Baxter indicated that it made an initial payment to purchase the drugmaker, while future payments are linked to specific milestones. Baxter BioScience president Ludwig Hantson commented that Aes-103 “is complementary to our established experience in haemophilia and supports our goals to raise the bar for care of patients with a range of blood-related disorders.”
Baxter stated that Aes-103 is a first-in-class oral compound that according to earlier studies may function by binding to haemoglobin and increasing oxygen affinity and stabilisation, consequently alleviating the sickling of blood cells and potentially reducing outcomes such as vaso-occlusive crisis, pain, severe anaemia and fatigue. The compound has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA, and remains eligible for the same designation in Europe.
Aes-103 is currently in mid-stage development as part of an ongoing collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health’ National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences via its Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases programme. Previously released data from the developmental programme indicated that the therapy significantly reduced pain in patients with sickle cell disease.
Earlier this year, Baxter announced plans to split into two separate companies, with one focused on developing and marketing biopharmaceuticals, which will be led by Hantson, and the other on medical products.