Thursday, August 24, 2023
Novartis has acquired Chinook Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company situated in Seattle, with a focus on developing precision medicines for kidney diseases. The acquisition, valued at a maximum of $3.5 billion, adds Chinook's late-stage assets to Novartis' portfolio. These assets include atrasentan, an oral endothelin A receptor antagonist currently in Phase 3 development for Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN), showing promising results in reducing proteinuria. Additionally, zigakibart (BION-1301), an anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody, has entered Phase 3 development for IgAN. The acquisition aims to advance treatments for severe chronic kidney diseases and includes potential contingent consideration based on regulatory milestones.
Eli Lilly and Company has successfully acquired Sigilon Therapeutics, aiming to advance encapsulated cell therapies like SIG-002 for treating type 1 diabetes. With this acquisition, Lilly is poised to enhance its research and development efforts in diabetes care. The company's group vice president for diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic research, Ruth Gimeno, expressed excitement about the collaboration with Sigilon and the shared goal of improving the lives of type 1 diabetes patients by reducing the need for continuous disease management.
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson have received FDA approval for AKEEGA™, a dual-action tablet containing niraparib and abiraterone acetate. This marks the first and only combination of a PARP inhibitor and abiraterone acetate, given with prednisone, for the treatment of adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), identified by an FDA-approved test. The approval is based on positive results from the Phase 3 MAGNITUDE study, demonstrating a significant 47 percent reduction in risk for radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) in patients treated with AKEEGA™ plus prednisone compared to placebo and AAP.
Roquette has revealed plans to acquire Qualicaps, a producer of hard capsules for oral dosage solutions, headquartered in Nara, Japan. This strategic move will bolster Roquette's position in the pharmaceutical industry and aligns with their growth strategy. With Qualicaps' global presence and established client base, Roquette aims to expand its pharmaceutical business and enhance its offerings of oral dosage solutions. The acquisition will combine Roquette's expertise in pharmaceutical excipients with Qualicaps' capsule expertise, allowing for innovative solutions to better meet customer and patient needs.
Upsher-Smith Labs announced the launch of Famotidine for Oral Suspension, USP. The Famotidine Oral Suspension market had U.S. sales of approximately $73 million for the 12 months ending June 2023 according to IQVIA. The Therapeutic Equivalence (TE) code for Upsher-Smith's product is AB, and the original Reference Listed Drug (RLD) was the brand Pepcid® (famotidine) for oral suspension.
This product launch is a result of Upsher-Smith's strategic partnership with Appco Pharma LLC (Appco), a New Jersey-based generic drug development and manufacturing company.