On Poseida’s side, Cooley LLP is handling legal matters with partners Rowook Park and Barbara Borden, alongside special counsel Julia Kim. Financial advice is being provided by Centerview Partners LLC.
Focus on Revolutionary Cell Therapies
Poseida Therapeutics, headquartered in San Diego and listed on the Nasdaq, specializes in genetically engineering white blood cells to target cancer cells through CAR-T cell therapies. These treatments are designed to address blood cancers, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases.
Roche’s head of product development and chief medical officer, Levi Garraway, expressed optimism about the acquisition’s potential. “We are very encouraged by the early clinical data, and this acquisition builds on our joint progress to catalyze the development of potentially first- and best-in-class cell therapies in oncology, immunology, and neurology,” Garraway said.
The deal builds on an existing collaboration between the companies and aims to develop next-generation, commercially scalable cell therapies.
Milestone Payments Linked to Key Products
Roche has outlined specific benchmarks for Poseida to earn the additional $500 million. The healthcare giant will pay $2 per share if Poseida’s lead product, targeting bone marrow cancer, reaches pivotal phase-three trials by December 2028. An additional $1 per share will be awarded if the product becomes commercially available by 2031.
