Sanofi Inks $1.9B Deal With Dren Bio to Buy Autoimmune Disease Drug

Group 1 - Sanofi has signed an agreement to acquire Dren Bio's investigational bispecific antibody DR-0201, which targets CD20 and is designed for deep B-cell depletion [1][2] - The acquisition includes an upfront payment of $600 million and potential milestone payments of up to $1.3 billion, with the deal expected to close in Q2 2025 [2] - Dren Bio has previously secured multi-billion dollar partnerships with Novartis and Pfizer for its bispecific antibody technology [3] Group 2 - Sanofi aims to enhance its immunology pipeline and position itself as a leading immunology company, with 12 potential blockbuster assets in phase III development [6] - The success of these candidates will reduce reliance on Dupixent, which generated over €13 billion in sales in 2024, accounting for about one-third of Sanofi's total revenues [7] - Sanofi is also focusing on new product launches, expecting three new products launched in 2023 to collectively achieve at least €5 billion in peak sales [8] Group 3 - Year-to-date, Sanofi's stock has increased nearly 22%, outperforming the industry growth of 7% [4]