Regeneron Announces Acquisition of Decibel Therapeutics

Regeneron and Decibel Therapeutics have officially announced an agreement in which Regeneron will acquire Decibel for $4 a share, with the potential of an additional $3.50 a share contingent upon achievement of certain clinical development and regulatory milestones for Decibel’s lead investigational candidate, DB-OTO, within specified time periods. As part of a collaboration started in 2017, the teams are developing three gene therapy programs targeting different forms of congenital, monogenic hearing loss.

“We are delighted to announce the planned acquisition of Decibel, who have been long-standing collaborators, notable for their deep scientific knowledge and commitment to people with hearing loss,” said George D. Yancopoulos, MD., PhD., board co-chair, chief scientific officer, president, Regeneron, in a company press release. “DB-OTO, our shared lead investigational gene therapy, will soon reach patients in its first clinical trial, offering new promise to children with this rare form of congenital hearing loss, as well as potential proof-of-concept for future gene therapies addressing more common forms of genetic hearing loss. We believe that Decibel’s assets and specialized team will further strengthen our genetic medicines portfolio, enabling Regeneron to accelerate the development of innovative genetic therapies and a rich pipeline of hearing loss treatments.”

Reference: Regeneron to Acquire Decibel Therapeutics, Strengthening Gene Therapy and Hearing Loss Programs. GlobeNewswire. August 9, 2023. Accessed August 10, 2023. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/08/09/2721539/0/en/Regeneron-to-Acquire-Decibel-Therapeutics-Strengthening-Gene-Therapy-and-Hearing-Loss-Programs.html