Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc announced the completion of its acquisition of privately-held Actio Biosciences, Inc. on September 15, 2026. The transaction was executed through a merger between Knight Acquisition Corp., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Jazz, and Actio. As a result of the merger, Actio has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jazz.
The acquisition was finalized for an upfront payment of $820 million. Following the deal, Actio spun out a new privately-held entity to which certain non-ABS-1230 programs were transferred. This new entity is funded by existing investors, and Jazz received a minority stake and related rights in the new company.
The primary asset acquired is ABS-1230, a clinical-stage, orally available small molecule designed to be a potent and selective KCNT1 inhibitor. The therapy is intended for the treatment of KCNT1-related epilepsy. In preclinical studies, ABS-1230 inhibited KCNT1 across all evaluable pathogenic mutations. An early clinical proof-of-concept trial involving children with the condition showed that those receiving ABS-1230 experienced meaningful seizure reductions.
ABS-1230 has received several designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including Fast Track, Rare Pediatric Disease, and Orphan Drug Product status. The company has also accepted the therapy into the FDA’s Rare Disease Evidence Principles process.
