AstraZeneca has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Icosavax for $1.1 billion, the drugmaker said Dec. 12.
Icosavax is a Seattle-based biopharmaceutical company developing a vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus. The vaccine elicited a strong immune response against both viruses one month after vaccination in phase 2 trial.
Currently, there are no vaccines on the market for human metapneumovirus, and no combination vaccine for RSV, the drugmakers said.
The acquisition would put AstraZeneca in direct competition with GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, which both launched RSV vaccines in 2023.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.