ABBV to Boost Immunology Pipeline With Capstan Buyout for $2.1B

AbbVie ABBV announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held biotech, Capstan Therapeutics, for up to $2.1 billion in cash.

The impending acquisition will add Capstan’s lead asset, CPTX2309, a potential first-in-class in vivo tLNP anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy, to AbbiVie’s immunology pipeline. The acquisition will also add Capstan’s proprietary tLNP platform technology, CellSeeker, which helps deliver RNA, like mRNA, to engineer specific cell types inside the body.

CPTX2309 is an in vivo CAR-T therapy using tLNPs to reprogram T cells, aiming to treat autoimmune diseases. The candidate is currently in phase I development for treating B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

Year to date, shares of AbbVie have risen 4.5% against the industry’s decline of 2.6%.

AbbVie on an Acquisition Spree

AbbVie has been on an acquisition spree lately, which is strengthening its pipeline. Particularly, it is signing several M&A deals in the immunology space, its core area, while also signing some early-stage deals in oncology and neuroscience areas.

It has signed more than 20 early-stage deals since the beginning of 2024, including promising technologies and innovative mechanisms that can elevate the standard of care in immunology, oncology and neuroscience.

Earlier this year, AbbVie bought rights to develop GUB014295 (ABBV-295), a long-acting amylin analog for the treatment of obesity, from Denmark’s Gubra. The deal marked AbbVie’s entry into the lucrative obesity space.

In January 2025, AbbVie completed the acquisition of Nimble Therapeutics. The acquisition added Nimble’s lead asset, an investigational oral peptide IL23R inhibitor currently in preclinical development for the treatment of psoriasis. The acquisition also allows AbbVie to utilize Nimble's proprietary peptide synthesis platform to enable the discovery and optimization of oral peptide therapeutics for autoimmune diseases.

ABBV's Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

AbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Exelixis EXEL, Spero Therapeutics SPRO and Puma Biotechnology PBYI, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Exelixis’ earnings per share have increased from $2.31 to $2.64 for 2025. During the same time, earnings per share estimates for 2026 have increased from $2.85 to $3.13. Year to date, shares of EXEL have rallied 32.4%.

EXEL’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 48.60%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Spero Therapeutics’ loss per share have narrowed from $2.32 to $1.43 for 2025. During the same time, loss per share estimates for 2026 have narrowed from $1.98 to $1.15. Year to date, shares of SPRO have surged 181.5%.

SPRO’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, while missing the same in the remaining two occasions, the average surprise being 8.29%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Puma Biotechnology’s earnings per share have increased from 60 cents to 65 cents for 2025. During the same time, earnings per share estimates for 2026 have risen from 46 cents to 51 cents. Year to date, shares of PBYI have gained 12.5%.

PBYI’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 171.43%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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