Sanofi is set to acquire Provention Bio, picking up the company’s first-in-class treatment to delay stage 3 type 1 diabetes (T1D).

The FDA approved Provention’s CD3-directed monoclonal antibody Tzield (teplizumab-mzwv) last fall as the first therapy to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and pediatric patients eight years and older with stage 2 T1D.

Stage 2 diabetes involves the presence of two or more diabetes-related autoantibodies and abnormal blood sugar levels due to increasing loss of beta cells but no symptoms, while stage 3 onset includes increased thirst and urination, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision and fatigue.

Tzield is also in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of pediatric and adolescent patients newly diagnosed with stage 3 T1D. A phase 3 trial is currently underway and top-line results are expected in the second half of 2023.

Sanofi said it expects to complete the acquisition in the second quarter of 2023 and to further develop the immune-mediated therapy for new therapeutic indications.