Shionogi has agreed to acquire IntraBio for $2 billion upfront, adding the rare neurological disease drug Aqneursa to its portfolio. The Japanese pharmaceutical company announced the agreement Oct. 5 following approval by its board of directors.
Under the agreement, Shionogi’s New Jersey-based subsidiary will acquire all outstanding shares of Austin, Texas-based IntraBio, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The transaction is scheduled to close between November and December 2026, subject to regulatory clearances, applicable competition-law waiting periods and other closing conditions.[
The acquisition would give Shionogi global intellectual property and commercialization rights to Aqneursa, or levacetylleucine. The drug received U.S. approval in September 2024 for neurological manifestations of Niemann-Pick disease type C and European Union approval in January 2026.
On Sept. 18, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also approved Aqneursa for ataxia in adults and children with ataxia-telangiectasia weighing at least 15 kilograms. The European Medicines Agency is reviewing the drug for that indication.
The deal follows Shionogi’s April 2026 acquisition of global rights to edaravone, marketed as Radicava in the United States, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Shionogi also has clinical programs in Pompe disease, Fragile X syndrome and Jordan’s syndrome.
IntraBio, founded in 2015, reported 2025 sales of approximately $67.9 million, compared with about $3.5 million in 2024. Its net loss narrowed to $35.8 million from $78.3 million over the same period.
Shionogi said it is reviewing the transaction’s impact on consolidated financial results for its fiscal year ending March 2027 and will announce matters requiring disclosure in the future.
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