A few days ago, GlaxoSmithKline has denied rumors and reports, claiming that the company has no intention of acquiring Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from Canada. However, the rumors surrounding the acquisition of Aurinia have not dissipated.

According to a report from the British Post on October 31, the UK-based pharmaceutical giant is preparing to participate in the bid for the acquisition of Aurinia. However, in an interview with French media Reuters, a spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline made it clear that the report was not true. On October 22, Bloomberg News also released related reports that Bristol-Myers Squibb, headquartered in the United States, intends to acquire Aurinia. This news directly caused Aurinia's stock to soar by nearly 27%. After a period of time, the company's stock price has risen by nearly 50%, bringing the company's market value to $4.2 billion.

Aurinia focuses on the research and development of autoimmune diseases. A few days ago, the company announced the latest interim data of the ongoing AURORA2 study of Lupkynis in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) lupus nephritis (LN). The company plans to conduct rheumatism in the United States on November 8. Relevant data will be presented at the third plenary meeting of the Society of Diseases and Diseases (ACR). Lupkynis is the first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of lupus nephritis, and it is also the first drug approved by Aurinia.

It is worth noting that Lupkynis has the potential to become a blockbuster in the future, and the drug's peak sales are expected to reach 1 billion US dollars. Currently, the drug’s only competitor is GlaxoSmithKline’s Benlysta, which is an injectable biologic. This is also one of the reasons why it is rumored that GlaxoSmithKline is interested in acquiring Aurinia, especially considering that Benlysta's patent will expire in a few years. In the interim analysis data released today, the proteinuria status of patients receiving Lupkynis maintained a meaningful improvement.

In addition to Lupkynis, Aurinia also added two new drugs to its production line pipeline in August this year. The first AUR200 was obtained by purchasing all common shares of Thunderbolt Pharma. AUR200 is a recombinant Fc fusion protein that can specifically block B cell activating factor (BAFF) and A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL). Both of these molecular therapies can promote B cell survival and differentiation, and are expected to treat certain autoimmune and kidney diseases. Aurinia has prepaid US$750,000 for the drug. Once the US FDA or other countries' regulatory agencies accept its investigational new drug (IND) application, Aurinia will be responsible for future regulatory milestones. Thunderbolt shareholders will be eligible for low single-digit royalties on any future sales.

The second drug is AUR300, which was obtained through a global licensing and research agreement with Riptide Bioscience. AUR300 is a new type of peptide that can regulate M2 macrophages (an immune cell) through the macrophage mannose receptor CD206. M2 macrophage dysregulation can lead to fibrosis, and AUR300 seems to reduce this dysregulation and inflammatory cytokines. Rob Huizinga, executive vice president of research at Aurinia, said at the time that both projects are rooted in strong science and cutting-edge methods for treating autoimmunity, fibrosis and kidney disease. So far, Aurinia has been involved in BAFF/APRIL inhibition and macrophage regulation. A lot of research has been carried out, "I believe that the introduction of these two methods to the clinic will provide great potential for a variety of autoimmune diseases."

It is worth noting that GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom and Bristol-Myers Squibb are not the only companies that are interested in Aurinia in the rumored acquisition. The well-known Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and Japan's Otsuka Pharmaceutical are also considered to be possible acquisitions. Potential buyers of Aurinia.

Reference source: Acquisition Rumors Continue to Circulate Around Aurinia as GSK Denies Interest