Blackstone Life Sciences made an investment of up to $750 million in Moderna Inc.’s influenza program created with its mRNA technology. The new funding is designed to help propel the program forward and may help bolster a stock that has struggled in the past 12 months.
After a shaky start to the year, Autolus Therapeutics plc has revived its fortunes, with Blackstone Life Sciences investing up to $250 million to fund its CAR T-cell technology and lead product targeting acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Royalty deals by an investor into a particular pharmaceutical company program are not unheard of. This structure allows the investor to secure a portion of that specific anticipated upside, while enabling the pharma to fully fund R&D for that program without having to sacrifice other priorities to do so.
As the company gears up for two NDA filings this year, Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s $350 million deal with funds managed by Blackstone Life Sciences provides cash runway through the end of 2023.