Jazz Pharmaceuticals completed its acquisition of Actio Biosciences for $820 million upfront, adding ABS-1230, a clinical-stage epilepsy drug candidate, to its rare disease portfolio.
The deal closed on September 15, 2026, and Actio is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazz. As part of the transaction, Actio also spun out a separate private company holding some of its non-ABS-1230 programs; Jazz received a minority stake and related rights in that new entity.
ABS-1230 is being developed as an oral, selective KCNT1 inhibitor for KCNT1-related epilepsy. In preclinical testing, it inhibited KCNT1 across all evaluable pathogenic mutations. In an early proof-of-concept study, children with KCNT1-related epilepsy who received ABS-1230 saw meaningful seizure reductions.
The candidate has already secured multiple regulatory designations from the FDA: fast track, rare pediatric disease, and orphan drug status, and it has been accepted into the agency’s rare disease evidence principles process.
For Jazz, the acquisition expands a pipeline that already includes therapies in epilepsies, cancers, and sleep disorders, and adds a program aimed at a rare epilepsy population with few treatment options. Today the company's shares have moved -0.76% to a price of $244.005. If you want to know more, read the company's complete 8-K report here.
