- Forbion announces the sale of Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary to be spun off from its portfolio company Numab Therapeutics, an investment of Forbion’s Growth Opportunities Fund I
- This is Forbion's sixth consecutive billion-dollar+ exit in a year
- NM26, developed by Numab using its proprietary MATCH technology, targets IL-4Rα and IL-31 for atopic dermatitis treatment.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 28 May, 2024 - Forbion is pleased to announce that its portfolio company Numab Therapeutics has signed definitive agreements with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, its wholly owned subsidiary. The agreement includes rights to NM26, a Bi-specific Antibody for the treatment of Atopic Dermatitis, for a purchase price of $1.25 billion in cash.
This is Forbion’s 6th consecutive exit within a year, with a value in excess of $1B, after the sale of Vectiv Bio, Inversago, Versanis, Aiolos and most recently Mariana Oncology.
NM26 targets IL-4Rα (type I and type II receptors) and IL-31, to address the hallmarks of the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis. The antibody was discovered and engineered, using Numab’s proprietary MATCH technology platform, which is designed to fuel a new wave of multi-specific antibody drug candidates.
This exit underscores our commitment to investing in, and supporting leading innovation in biotechnology in Europe. We continue to partner with global leaders in our industry to accelerate development of new therapies to the benefit of patients.
Nanna Lüneborg
Forbion General Partner
We are delighted to partner with J&J to bring NM-26 forwards, which was developed by Numab’s proprietary discovery platform, and we remain committed to future development of additional products, together with the outstanding management team at Numab.
Carlo Incerti
Chairman of the Board of Numab Therapeutics, and Operating Partner at Forbion
Forbion remains a shareholder of Numab Therapeutics, which is well capitalized to further advance its broad pipeline of novel, multi-specifics to address areas of unmet needs and overcome historical barriers in drug discovery, by virtue of its unique technology platform.
Read the full release here