In July 2021, Aristea announced a strategic collaboration with Arena Pharmaceuticals, to advance the clinical development of RIST4721.
Under the terms of the agreement, Arena provided a $60 million upfront payment to Aristea and a $10 million equity investment in the company’s Series B financing. In return, Aristea granted Arena an exclusive option to acquire Aristea, including rights to all CXCR2 programs, upon completion of the Phase 2b study of RIST4721 in PPP.
The agreement also provided a framework during the option period for the companies to jointly explore the development of additional neutrophil-mediated diseases, including hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), potentially generating multiple data readouts during the option period.
In March 2022, Arena Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Pfizer Inc. As such, the partnership and the option to acquire Aristea now sit with Pfizer.
“The collaboration and option agreement with Aristea provides Arena with an opportunity to bolster our early- to mid-stage immunology pipeline in two of our core therapeutic areas, dermatology and gastroenterology. We look forward to working closely with the Aristea team with the goal of bringing a novel therapy to patients with neutrophilic diseases.”
