Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. (OTCQB: TKPYY) has been busy bolstering its role as a global leader in gastroenterology.
On June 8, 2016, Takeda dished out $15 million for Theravance Biopharma’s (NASDAQ: TBPH) license to TD-8954, a selective 5-HT4 receptor agonist being investigated for potential use in gastrointestinal motility disorders, including enteral feeding intolerance.
Less than a month later, Takeda bought the rights to develop ATC-1906 from Altos Therapeutics for an undisclosed amount. ATC-1906 is currently in Phase 1 studies for the treatment of gastroparesis and its symptoms.
Then, just four days later, on July 5 2016, Takeda paid approximately $28 million to TiGenix N.V. (EBR:TIG) for the ex-U.S. license to Cx601, which is used for the treatment of perianal fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease. Cx601 was granted orphan designation in 2009 by the European Commission. Based on the results of the ADMIRE-CD Phase 3 clinical trial, TiGenix announced that it submitted the Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for Cx601 in March of 2016.
Crohn’s disease and gastroparesis fall under the category of “specialty GI”- a market that is forecasted to be worth $28 billion by 2020.
