Novartis agreed to buy Excellergy for up to $2 billion, seeking a next-generation anti-IgE program that could succeed or extend beyond Xolair. Exl-111, Excellergy’s lead IgE antibody, is in Phase 3 development and is designed to disarm allergic effector cells without activating mast cells and basophils. The acquisition follows Excellergy’s emergence with $70 million in funding earlier, and it builds on platform science involving effector cell response inhibitors (ECRIs) traced to research partnerships spanning Stanford University and the University of Bern. Novartis emphasized preclinical evidence and early clinical pharmacokinetic data supporting Exl-111’s potential. For Novartis, the deal extends its established IgE franchise—Xolair is approved across multiple allergic indications, including severe allergic asthma, chronic spontaneous urticaria, nasal polyps, and food allergy—while creating an additional differentiating mechanism for faster and deeper IgE signaling suppression.