{"id":3137,"date":"2026-01-20T15:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T15:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=3137"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T15:16:20","slug":"rapt-therapeutics-shares-surge-64-as-gsk-agrees-2-2b-acquisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=3137","title":{"rendered":"RAPT Therapeutics shares surge 64% as GSK agrees $2.2B acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shares of RAPT Therapeutics surged sharply on Tuesday after the biopharmaceutical company said it had agreed to be acquired by British drugmaker GSK in a deal valued at about $2.2 billion, giving the larger group access to a late-stage food allergy treatment.<\/p>\n

RAPT stock jumped 64% to $57.41 in premarket trading, approaching the agreed offer price. <\/p>\n

The shares had already gained strongly over the past year and were more than three times higher than a year ago through Friday\u2019s close, reflecting growing investor optimism around its pipeline.<\/p>\n

Terms of the deal <\/h2>\n

Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will pay $58 per RAPT share, representing an aggregate equity value of approximately $2.2 billion. <\/p>\n

The transaction includes an upfront cash payment of $1.9 billion and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.<\/p>\n

The acquisition comes as large pharmaceutical companies increasingly seek to bolster pipelines through targeted acquisitions, particularly in areas with well-defined biological pathways and significant unmet medical needs.<\/p>\n

RAPT, which was founded in 2015 and listed on Nasdaq in 2019, had a market capitalisation of about $972.7 million before the deal was announced, highlighting the premium GSK is willing to pay for its lead asset.<\/p>\n

Food allergy drug at the centre of acquisition<\/h2>\n

The deal gives GSK control of ozureprubart, an antibody under development for the prevention of food allergies. <\/p>\n

The drug targets immunoglobulin E, or IgE, a validated pathway in allergic disease, and could offer a more convenient alternative to existing treatments.<\/p>\n

Current anti-IgE therapies typically require injections every two to four weeks. <\/p>\n

Ozureprubart has the potential to reduce dosing frequency to once every 12 weeks, which could significantly ease the treatment burden, particularly for children. <\/p>\n

It may also expand access to treatment for around 25% of patients who are currently ineligible for existing therapies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe addition of ozureprubart brings another promising new, potential best-in-class treatment to GSK\u2019s pipeline,\u201d said Tony Wood, GSK\u2019s chief scientific officer.<\/p>\n

Clinical progress and next milestones<\/h2>\n

The US Food and Drug Administration cleared RAPT\u2019s investigational new drug application for ozureprubart in September, allowing the company to advance the treatment into a phase IIb food allergy trial. <\/p>\n

In October, RAPT launched the prestIgE study, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating ozureprubart as a standalone therapy.<\/p>\n

Phase IIb data from the prestIgE trial are expected in 2027, with phase III studies planned in both adult and paediatric populations. <\/p>\n

Food allergies affect more than 17 million people in the United States alone and lead to more than 3 million hospital and emergency visits each year, underscoring the commercial and clinical potential of new therapies.<\/p>\n

Strategic fit for GSK<\/h2>\n

The acquisition strengthens GSK\u2019s respiratory, immunology and inflammation pipeline, a key strategic focus for the company. <\/p>\n

While the deal still carries development and regulatory risks, analysts see it as a calculated bet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is exactly the sort of risk that GSK should be taking,\u201d said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. <\/p>\n

He added that a more convenient treatment could generate substantial returns if it succeeds.<\/p>\n

In the nine months to September 30, 2025, RAPT reported losses of $52.4 million, down from $76.6 million a year earlier, as research and development spending fell sharply.<\/p>\n

The post RAPT Therapeutics shares surge 64% as GSK agrees $2.2B acquisition<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Shares of RAPT Therapeutics surged sharply on Tuesday after the biopharmaceutical company said it had agreed to be acquired by British drugmaker GSK in a deal valued at about $2.2 billion, giving the larger group access to a late-stage food allergy treatment.RAPT stock jumped 64% to $57.41 in premarket trading, approaching the agreed offer price.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}