Gilead won’t acquire checkpoint oncology biotech Tizona

Gilead has now passed on two biotech buy­out op­tions that it forged in sum­mer 2020.

The large drug­mak­er will not ac­quire Tizona Ther­a­peu­tics, a fel­low Cal­i­for­nia biotech work­ing on a new type of check­point ther­a­py for cer­tain can­cers, a Gilead spokesper­son con­firmed to End­points News via email on Tues­day evening.

Gilead had paid about $300 mil­lion in Ju­ly 2020 to ac­quire al­most 50% of Tizona and held on­to the right to swoop up the rest for a $100 mil­lion fee, plus as much as $1.2 bil­lion more down the road in de­vel­op­ment and reg­u­la­to­ry biobucks. Ear­li­er that sum­mer, Gilead had inked a sim­i­lar op­tion with Pi­o­nyr Im­munother­a­peu­tics, but in March 2023, the drug­mak­er opt­ed not to fol­low through with a full buy­out of that biotech ei­ther.

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