UCB agreed to acquire Neurona Therapeutics for $1.15 billion, adding NRTX-1001, a pluripotent stem-cell-derived therapy designed to produce GABA for people with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. The deal includes a $650 million upfront payment and up to $500 million in milestone payments. Neurona’s program is in Phase I/II studies and has received FDA RMAT designation in the U.S., with the EMA granting PRIME status the following year. UCB framed the acquisition as a way to expand beyond symptom suppression toward a one-time, durable seizure-reduction approach. If completed, the transaction would bring a regenerative medicine asset into UCB’s portfolio, potentially accelerating regulatory engagement in both the U.S. and Europe where RMAT/PRIME designations already apply. For the epilepsy pipeline, the near-term focus will be how NRTX-1001’s clinical results develop in Phase I/II and how UCB plans to structure subsequent registrational paths.