Another Priority Review Voucher Sold

by | Sep 14, 2015 9:00 am | Pharmaceuticals

In August, AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) paid a record-setting $350 million to United Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ: UTHR) for its Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher. The fast-track voucher was awarded by the FDA as part of its approval of Unituxin™ (dintuximab), for the treatment of neuroblastoma. On Sept. 8, the FDA cleared Wellstat Therapeutics’ Xuriden (uridine triacetate) for the treatment of hereditary orotic aciduria, a rare, potentially fatal genetic disorder. It also granted a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher to the privately held Wellstat. That voucher was immediately sold to AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) as part of an agreement made in September 2014. Financial... Read More »

Valeant Pharmaceuticals Keeps Buying

by | Sep 8, 2015 8:51 am | Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: VRX) couldn’t keep its checkbook closed last week. On September 1, Valeant obtained the exclusive license to develop and commercialize brodalumab, a psoriasis drug candidate, from AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) for $100 million. Valeant will hold the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize brodalumab globally, except in Japan and certain other Asian countries where rights are held by Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. under a prior arrangement with Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN), the originator of brodalumab. A day later, the company announced its acquisition of Synergetics USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: SURG), a medical device company specializing in surgical... Read More »

MedImmune Parcels Out an Investgational Blood Cancer Candidate

by | Apr 20, 2015 4:13 pm | Biotechnology

Last week MedImmune Ltd., the biotech arm of AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN), announced two placements for its investigational compound, MEDI4736. The first announcement was with Juno Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: JUNO), which signed an non-exclusive agreement to test its own investigational CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell candidates with MedImmune’s programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune check point inhibitor, MEDI4736, aiming for a combination therapy. No financial details were disclosed on that, but the next day, MedImmune announced a deal with a Swiss subsidiary of Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG), worth an upfront payment of $450 million from Celgene, to investigate... Read More »