Biovitrum AB has entered into an acquisition agreement with Arthrosi Therapeutics, Inc., which was invested in and incubated by Viva Biotech Holdings. Under the terms of the agreement, Sobi will pay up to USD 1.5 billion in total transaction value, including an upfront payment at closing of USD 950 million, subject to customary adjustments and contingent consideration of up to USD 550 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.

"The acquisition of Arthrosi allows us to expand our gout pipeline with a highly differentiated new asset. Pozdeutinurad has the potential to become the therapy of choice for patients who have progressive gout with persistent and unresolved symptoms despite first-line therapy. The product has the potential to materially accelerate our growth until the mid 2030s, and beyond. We welcome all members of the talented Arthrosi team and are looking forward to working closely together to be able to offer this therapy to patients as soon as possible," said Guido Oelkers, President and CEO, Sobi.

The acquisition strengthens Sobi's gout franchise by adding Pozdeutinurad (AR882), an investigational next-generation, once-daily oral URAT1 inhibitor currently being evaluated in two fully recruited global phase 3 clinical studies for the potential management of progressive and tophaceous gout and expected to read out in 2026. Pozdeutinurad complements Sobi's pipeline by adding a potentially best-in-class URAT1 inhibitor for patients sub-optimally treated with first-line therapies.

"We are thrilled to join forces with Sobi and look forward to working together to ensure a seamless transition as they advance pozdeutinurad towards pivotal data and potential regulatory filings. We believe that Sobi's global expertise in commercialisation will accelerate our shared mission to deliver pozdeutinurad's potentially transformative benefits for individuals living with gout," stated Litain Yeh, PhD, Founder and CEO, Arthrosi Therapeutics.

Viva Biotech expects that the merger will result in an aggregate gain of approximately USD 40 million. The exact amount will depend on the fulfilment of regulatory and performance milestones. In addition, Arthrosi has also entered into new Statement of Work (SOW) with the Viva Biotech's CDMO business unit (Langhua Pharmaceutical) for the supply of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), and the group expects to continue its business cooperation with Arthrosi.

Dr Han Dai, Chief Innovation Officer and Head, Viva BioInnovator, commented, "We are pleased to see Arthrosi reach this milestone with the acquisition by Sobi. Viva Biotech started to participate in Arthrosi from the seed round onward and remained a long-term investor across multiple subsequent rounds. As an industrial partner, Viva Biotech has also maintained long-term and in-depth collaboration with the team in areas across R&D, manufacturing and global industry resource integration. We have witnessed Arthrosi's continued focus on solving the unmet medical need of gout, marked by clear and disciplined scientific and clinical decision-making. This acquisition fully reflects the dual realisation of industrial and clinical value, further validating the feasibility of Viva Biotech's investment and industry empowerment model in the global innovative drug sector. We sincerely congratulate Arthrosi and Sobi on their collaboration, and extend congratulations to the founders of Arthrosi — Dr Litain Yeh and Dr Shunqi Yan. We look forward to the continued long-term value creation of this project within a larger industrial platform. And, we also thank ApicHope and all shareholders for their continued support and trust throughout the company's journey."