On 7 December, Aerami Therapeutics announced its plans to enter a business combination agreement with FoxWayne Enterprises Acquisition. Once the deal is completed, the combined companies will operate as Aerami Therapeutics Holdings. GlobalData believes that this merger will be a significant opportunity for Aerami to bolster its pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug portfolio, as the deal transaction proceeds will help advance the development of AER-901 (imatinib).

Despite the availability of multiple treatment options on the market—such as endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs), PDE5 inhibitors, soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) stimulators and prostacyclin derivatives—PAH remains a largely incurable and fatal cardiopulmonary disease. At present, Aerami’s pipeline features a PAH drug candidate, namely imatinib, an inhaled, nebulised formulation of imatinib, currently in Phase I for PAH. Imatinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that blocks signalling by binding to the ATP-binding pocket necessary for receptor activation. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have emphasised that they would like to see the development of TKIs because they act on the pathogenic mechanism of PAH. KOLs also said that there is a significant unmet need for a novel drug that works similarly to an anti-cancer drug and can suppress cell growth in the same way as a TKI.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Acquisitions and licensing agreements are a common trend in the PAH disease space. Under the agreement, Aerami Therapeutics Holdings aims to advance in the inhaled therapies space, focusing on respiratory and chronic diseases. The deal will involve FoxWayne issuing millions of shares of its common stock, equivalent to around $250m.

PAH patients often progress and die on triple therapy or have to go into transplant, so targeting a fourth pathway may offer an advantage for the drug. Through this merger, Aerami will have a significant opportunity to maximise the commercial potential of imatinib in the PAH space. Imatinib is expected to advance into a Phase II/III clinical trial for PAH next year.