Written by John Carroll

Novartis A G (NYSE: NVS ) is spinning out a pair of Phase IIb-ready drugs to Boston-based start-up PureTech Health, setting up a subsidiary called resTORbio which it will now fund, in tranches, with $15 million. 

Novartis can earn a growing stake in the operation, rising to 58% on the allocation of the full $15 million, with an option to increase that to 67% if it adds $10 million more.

There’s nothing new about a major pharma operation like Novartis spinning out assets from a large pipeline...[but] what is interesting this year is that the whole field of divesting assets is growing hotter as companies look to reprioritize pipelines in the wake of increasing resistance by payers...

In this case, PureTech is grabbing two drugs now bound for advanced trials on repairing the deteriorating impact of aging on the human immune system that have completed studies for immunosenescence. The treatment inhibits the mTORC1 pathway, which has been long studied for its ability — in animals — to revitalize T cell function and amp up an aging immune system.

Said Chen Schor, a PureTech senior executive and the leader of the resTORbio program:

“mTORC1 inhibitors could lead us to a new paradigm for treating several aging-related conditions.”

Aging has been a growing focus among a handful of biotechs, though there are still plenty of pesky details about development and endpoints that still need to be worked out with the FDA. Still, this is an advanced effort, especially compared to cell senescence programs at startups like Unity.

Don’t be surprised if you see some more of these kinds of outsourcing deals from Novartis.

Jay Bradner, who runs the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), said:

We regard the further development of these compounds by PureTech Health for the potential treatment of conditions such as immunosenescence, as a prime example of our continued commitment to work more openly with innovators beyond our walls to advance projects that have the potential to help patients lead healthier lives.