GSK will buy vaccine developer Affinivax

GSK has agreed to buy the vaccine developer Affinivax for $2.1 billion, plus up to $1.2 billion in milestone payments. Affinivax, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, uses its Multiple Antigen Presenting System in vaccines to induce a protective immune response that’s broader than that of conventional conjugate vaccines. The company’s lead vaccine, AFX3772, targets Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium that can cause infections like pneumonia and meningitis. Affinivax expects it to enter Phase 3 trials this year. In a press release, GSK chief scientific officer Hal Barron says the deal will give the firm access to a “new, potentially disruptive technology.”