Abivax‘s newest funding spherical permits the biotech to maneuver towards a U.S. launch of its bowel illness drug with out backing from Large Pharma, CEO Marc de Garidel advised CNBC after months of intense takeover hypothesis.
“Because of the money we raised… We’re ready to have money till the top of 2029, and … construct up the correct infrastructure to launch within the U.S.,” de Garidel advised CNBC’s “Squawk Field Europe” on Friday.
The French clinical-stage biotech, value practically 11 billion euros ($12.2 billion), raised $920 million final week after underwriters exercised in full their choice to buy extra American depository shares.
Proceeds will permit it to finance operations by 2029, together with the commercialization of its lead drug, and solely asset, obefazimod, within the U.S. and additional scientific R&D bills for a similar drugs.
“One of the best protection for us is definitely the offense,” de Garidel stated Friday in response to a query about whether or not Abivax would think about a takeover supply at this stage.
It got here after a unstable month for the corporate, the place a late-stage trial for obefazimod for ulcerative colitis sufferers spooked traders with reported most cancers instances within the examine cohort, sending shares crashing as analysts questioned its industrial viability.
A component two dataset from the identical trial confirmed malignancies have been in keeping with regular charges to be anticipated for the affected person demographic, main shares to get well losses.
Abivax share over the previous 12 months.
De Garidel on Friday emphasised the drugs’s “unmatched efficacy for the drug in a hard-to-treat inhabitants” and repeated the corporate’s stance that it’s secure.
“When you’ve gotten ulcerative colitis, sadly, your immune system is depleted, and you’re extra inclined to a sure sort of most cancers,” he stated.
Abivax will meet with the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration on the finish of July to debate its New Drug Utility for obefazimod, a so-called pre-NDA assembly, he added.
Takeover hypothesis
Abivax has been underneath intense scrutiny by traders as a major takeover goal after it reported sturdy efficacy in July 2025 for obefazimod over 8 weeks. The next “upkeep” trial assessed the impact of the drug over 44 weeks.
Its Paris-listed shares have, nonetheless, soared greater than 1,600% over the previous 12 months, probably complicating worth negotiations with aspiring patrons.
De Garidel advised CNBC in March that he was assured it might safe a greater deal following the upkeep information.
Analysts have modelled that an acquisition could also be priced at as a lot as $23 billion and stated Abivax may very well be a strategic acquisition for any massive pharmaceutical firm with an immunology and irritation franchise.
