May 28 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) on Tuesday

agreed to acquire the rights to an experimental skin disorder

treatment from privately held Numab Therapeutics for about $1.25

billion, its second deal for an eczema-focused company this

month.

J&J will acquire a unit of Numab, backed by the parent of

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, to gain rights to the

experimental treatment for eczema, also known as atopic

dermatitis.

The disease, which affects 30 million people in the United

States every year, was the focus of J&J's $850 million

acquisition of drug developer Proteologix earlier this month.

J&J, which has recently narrowed its focus to medical

devices and drugs, has struck major deals this year, ahead of

looming competition from biosimilars for blockbuster psoriasis

treatment Stelara that are set to enter the market in 2025.

Last month, the company said it has significant flexibility

to consider multiple types of transactions after agreeing to buy

heart device maker Shockwave Medical ( SWAV ) for $13.1 billion.

The Numab deal is expected to close in the second half of

2024.

Numab's drug, NM26, recently completed testing in an

early-stage trial. It belongs to a class of drugs known as

bi-specific antibodies, which are artificial proteins that can

target two different disease pathways at once.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder

that causes damage to the skin barrier, leaving it dry, itchy,

and prone to skin infections.