Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
AstraZeneca acquired Belgian biotech EsoBiotec for up to $1B ($425M upfront + $575M in development/regulatory milestones, cash- and debt-free), announced 17 Mar 2025 and completed 20 May 2025. The deal brings EsoBiotec's ENaBL (Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral) platform for in vivo CAR-T, which uses a nanobody-targeted, immune-shielded lentiviral vector to reprogram T cells inside the patient in a single IV infusion, avoiding leukapheresis, ex vivo manufacturing and lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Lead asset ESO-T01 (anti-BCMA) was tested in an investigator-initiated Phase 1 study in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma in Wuhan, China. Published in Nature Medicine (2026), the 5-patient readout showed 4 of 5 objective responses including 3 stringent complete remissions at a median ~6-month follow-up. However, all patients experienced grade 3 or higher serious adverse events and one patient died (attributed by investigators to disease progression / spinal-cord compression, with timing near peak CAR-T expansion); the trial was stopped early in 2025 with no further enrollment. The data establish proof-of-concept for in vivo CAR-T generation while underscoring tolerability questions AstraZeneca must resolve as it advances the platform.