NIHR GOSH BRC spinout Orchard Therapeutics signs strategic agreement with GSK

GSK and Orchard Therapeutics today announced a strategic agreement, under which GSK will transfer its portfolio of approved and investigational rare disease gene therapies to Orchard, securing the continued development of the programmes and access for patients.Orchard Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that develops transformative gene therapies for life threatening rare diseases. Orchard’s founding scientists include NIHR GOSH BRC researchers Professor Bobby Gaspar, Adrian Thrasher and Waseem Qasim. This acquisition strengthens Orchard’s position as a global leader in gene therapy for rare diseases and GSK will continue to invest in the development of its platform capabilities in cell and gene therapies, with a focus on oncology.

This agreement is evidence of GOSH BRC’s continued success in accelerating the delivery of new medicines for patient benefit and is testament to the GOSH BRC’s unique expertise in novel therapies for rare diseases.

Under the agreement, GSK will become an investor in Orchard Therapeutics, receiving a 19.9% equity stake along with a seat on the company’s board. GSK will also receive financial considerations in the form of royalties and commercial milestone payments related to the acquired portfolio. GSK and Orchard will exchange manufacturing, technical and commercial insights and learnings on the development of gene therapy medicines to ensure the success of the assets.

The acquisition of GSK’s programmes complements Orchard’s pipeline of clinical and preclinical gene therapies for primary immune deficiencies and inherited metabolic disorders.

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