AbbVie(US:ABBV) Di Yi Cai Jing·2025-07-01 06:11Core Insights - AbbVie announced the acquisition of Capstan Therapeutics for $2.1 billion to expand its product line in autoimmune disease therapies, following the expiration of the patent for its blockbuster drug Humira [1][5] - Capstan's CAR-T therapy, based on mRNA technology, aims to simplify the production process, reducing complexity, time, and costs associated with traditional CAR-T therapies [1][2] - The CAR-T therapy market is projected to exceed $11 billion this year and could reach nearly $200 billion by 2034 [1] Company Overview - Capstan Therapeutics was founded in 2022 by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, including notable figures in CAR-T technology and mRNA development [2] - The company has developed core technologies, including targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNP) and disease-specific mRNA payloads for in vivo CAR-T cell modification [2] Clinical Developments - Capstan's anti-CD19 in vivo CAR-T therapy, CPTX2309, has commenced Phase 1 clinical trials for treating B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases [2] - A recent study published in The Lancet Neurology reported successful CAR-T treatment in patients with severe autoimmune neurological diseases, demonstrating the potential of CAR-T therapies in this new area [4] Market Position - AbbVie is competing with major pharmaceutical companies like Vertex and Bristol-Myers Squibb in the autoimmune drug market, having invested over $20 billion in acquisitions since 2023 [1][5] - AbbVie's successful drugs, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, are expected to generate over $31 billion in total sales by 2027, helping to offset the impact of Humira's patent expiration [5]