J&J lines up $2.58B option to buy Flagship's in vivo CAR-T biotech Sail

Johnson & Johnson has secured a $2.58 billion option to acquire Sail Biomedicines, an in vivo CAR-T biotech backed by Flagship Pioneering. The move expands the role of one of the sector's biggest cell therapy players.

In vivo CAR-T therapies aim to engineer immune cells inside the body, a departure from traditional cell therapies that require extracting, modifying, and reinfusing a patient's cells. For J&J, the option deepens its bet on next-generation cell therapy.

The in vivo CAR-T space is getting more competitive as established players expand. J&J's move signals that Big Pharma sees this emerging approach as central to the future of cell therapy.