Bristol Myers Squibb acquires Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 billion to boost cell therapy portfolio
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb announced Friday that it will acquire Orbital Therapeutics, a privately held cell therapy developer, in a $1.5 billion cash deal aimed at expanding its pipeline beyond drugs threatened by generic competition.
The acquisition strengthens Bristol Myers’ CAR T-cell immunotherapy portfolio, adding Orbital’s lead experimental therapy OTX-201, which targets autoimmune diseases by eliminating harmful cells and helping the body reset its immune system, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“This acquisition gives us an incredible opportunity to make CAR T-cell therapy more efficient and accessible to more patients,” said Lynelle B. Hoch, president of the company’s cell therapy organization.
The deal marks Bristol Myers’ first major acquisition of 2025, following its March purchase of 2seventy bio for about $286 million to gain full control of Abecma, a CAR T-cell treatment for multiple myeloma.
While Abecma and Breyanzi—another blood cancer cell therapy—made up only 1.7% of the company’s total revenue last year, Bristol Myers is increasingly betting on next-generation treatments to sustain growth as older blockbusters like Eliquis and Revlimid face generic rivals.
Based in Massachusetts, Orbital also brings advanced RNA technology, which integrates RNA engineering, AI, and novel delivery systems to develop customizable therapies for various diseases.
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