Lausanne, Switzerland — August 5, 2026 — Leads & Copy — AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, announced its first half 2026 financial and corporate update, highlighting significant progress across its pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered programs. The company anticipates near-term clinical catalysts, supported by milestone payments from strategic collaborations, which are projected to extend its cash runway into the fourth quarter of 2027.
Key developments include the continued progression of the Phase 2 VacSYn trial of ACI-7104 for Parkinson’s disease, which received a $4 million grant from The Vijay and Marie Goradia Charitable Foundation. The company also noted advancements in its Morphomer small molecule program targeting intracellular Tau, in collaboration with Lilly, and a $12 million milestone payment from Takeda following the initiation of the AD4 cohort in the ABATE trial for Alzheimer’s disease.
AC Immune reported total cash resources of CHF 75.4 million as of June 30, 2026. Total revenues for the first six months of 2026 reached CHF 16.2 million, a substantial increase from CHF 2.3 million in the same period of 2025. This growth was primarily driven by milestone achievements under the Lilly and Takeda agreements, contributing CHF 11.0 million and CHF 5.2 million respectively.
The company’s wholly-owned pipeline is centered on three distinct programs targeting alpha-synuclein, TDP-43, and NLRP3, which are implicated in the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. AC Immune is preparing to report full results from Part 1 of the VacSYn trial for ACI-7104, an active immunotherapy for Parkinson’s disease, in the second half of 2026. Additionally, initial data from the ACI-19764 trial, a small-molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome aimed at reducing neuroinflammation, is also anticipated in the same timeframe.
The Phase 1 trial for ACI-19764 in healthy volunteers is ongoing, with safety, tolerability, and pharmacodynamic results expected soon. Following this, Phase 1b results in a cohort of patients with cardiovascular risk factors and elevated hsCRP levels are slated for the second half of 2026. AC Immune also presented preliminary results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of its first-in-class TDP-43 positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, ACI-19626, which demonstrated increased uptake in the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
In its partnered programs, AC Immune continues to collaborate with major pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda, Lilly, and Janssen. The collaboration with Takeda on ACI-24, an active immunotherapy for prodromal Alzheimer’s disease, triggered a $12 million milestone payment. Interim data from the first three cohorts of the ABATE trial indicated that ACI-24 was generally safe and well-tolerated, with no evidence of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities-edema (ARIA-E) and detection of anti-Abeta antibody responses at all dose levels.
The amended agreement with Lilly for the Morphomer-Tau small molecule program reflects ongoing research and collaboration to develop new lead Tau Morphomer candidates and potential back-up compounds. Under this agreement, AC Immune received a CHF 10 million upfront payment and is eligible for further milestone payments exceeding CHF 1.7 billion, plus tiered royalty payments.
Following her retirement as Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Andrea Pfeifer was succeeded by Dr. Martin Zügel, Chair of the Board, who will serve as interim CEO while a search for a permanent successor is conducted. All shareholder-approved agenda items at the Annual General Meeting were passed.
For the six months ended June 30, 2026, AC Immune reported Research & Development expenses of CHF 22.2 million, a decrease from CHF 32.7 million in the prior year period, attributed to pipeline focus initiatives and lower spend in clinical programs. General & Administrative expenses also decreased to CHF 7.7 million from CHF 8.3 million in the same period. The company reported a net loss of CHF 12.9 million for the period, an improvement from a net loss of CHF 40.2 million in the first half of 2025.
Source: AC Immune SA
