Roche has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Poseida Therapeutics, a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on donor-derived CAR-T cell therapies. The acquisition to represents a total equity value of approximately US $1.0 billion.

Based in San Diego, California, Poseida’s R&D portfolio includes pre-clinical and clinical-stage off-the-shelf (also referred to as allogeneic) CAR-T therapies across several therapeutic areas including haematological malignancies, solid tumours, and autoimmune disease, as well as manufacturing capabilities and technology platforms.

The acquisition builds on the existing partnership between Roche and Poseida following the collaboration and licence agreement established in 2022, which focuses on developing off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies to address medical needs of patients with haematological malignancies. The intention of Poseida, Roche and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, is to deliver the next generation of off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies with increased potency and favourable safety at a scale that can reach more patients and enable broad commercial use. Upon closing of the transaction, Roche will obtain access to Poseida’s GMP manufacturing capabilities and other R&D portfolio assets. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025.