Biotech Startup Acelyrin Buys Drugmaker ValenzaBio in Stock Deal

Acelyrin said it acquired privately held ValenzaBio in an all-stock transaction but didn’t disclose further financial details of the acquisition. Acelyrin, which disclosed a $300 million venture financing in September led by Access Biotechnology, previously struck a deal with biotech Affibody AB to secure global rights to develop and commercialize a compound, izokibep, except in certain Asian countries. Acelyrin is developing izokibep in clinical trials for conditions including axial spondyloarthritis, a cause of chronic low-back pain; psoriatic arthritis, a type of arthritis occurring in some people with psoriasis; and hidradenitis suppurativa, an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the exocrine glands, leading to pain, scarring and other symptoms.