Processa Pharmaceuticals acquired Vidya Therapeutics on Wednesday, gaining its BTK inhibitor (BTKi) VT-7208, while also raising fresh funds to move the asset through Phase II trials for several immune-mediated diseases including food allergy, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS).Alongside the takeout, Processa is also pocketing $200 million from a private placement backed by a syndicate of new and existing investors, including Bain Capital Life Sciences, Janus Henderson Investors, RA Capital Management, SilverArc Capital, ADAR1 Capital Management, Cormorant Asset Management, Integral Health Asset Management, Marshall Wace, Octagon Capital and Soleus Capital. The capital will help carry VT-7208 through a trio of proof-of-concept trials. Phase II studies in food allergy and CSU are slated to start this half, while a mid-stage RMS trial will begin in the first half of 2027. "This transaction with Vidya represents a compelling opportunity," said Processa CEO George Ng, adding that VT-7208 has "the potential to address significant unmet needs across multiple disease areas."The candidate — a central nervous system–penetrant, covalent BTKi – was designed to minimise off-target kinase activity, reducing hepatotoxicity risk. Early data suggest VT-7208 could be given at lower doses than earlier generations of BTKis, while remaining a potent and durable therapeutic. In Phase I testing, once-daily oral doses of VT-7208 demonstrated sustained target engagement and dose-dependent pharmacokinetics, with no serious adverse events. With the private placement proceeds, Processa believes it has enough cash to fund operations into the second half of 2029 and hit several clinical milestones for VT-7208. Data from the food allergy trial are due in the second half of 2027, while the CSU and RMS studies are expected to read out in the first and second halves of 2028, respectively. Deal termsUnder the terms of the stock-for-stock transaction, all outstanding equity interests of Vidya will be exchanged for a combination of 558,398 shares of Processa common stock and about 142,744.1 shares of series A non-voting preferred stock, which will automatically convert into 1000 shares of common stock.Processa shareholders will own approximately 0.9% of the company's common stock, while Vidya's equity holders will own about 46% and the private placement investors will own about 52.6%.