Clinigen To Acquire Us Rights To Proleukin
Clinigen Group plc (AIM: CLIN, ?Clinigen? or the ?Group?), the global pharmaceutical and services company, has signed an agreement with Novartis to acquire the US rights to Proleukin? (aldesleukin, human recombinant interleukin-2) for up to $210m in cash, consisting of an upfront and deferred payments along with future sales-related milestones.
Clinigen already owns the rights to Proleukin outside the US, which it acquired in July 2018.
Highlights
- Proleukin is indicated for metastatic melanoma and metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the US
- Clinigen will be the exclusive global owner of the licensed version of this drug
- Currently being used in around 80 active studies within the US across multiple disease areas
- Has the potential to become an integral part of cancer combination therapies
- Total consideration: up to $210m for US rights to Proleukin
- Initial $120m payable
- $60m deferred consideration over the 12 months following completion
- A further $30m consideration based on sales milestones
- In the year to 30 June 2018, in the US, Proleukin made revenue of $60.0m according to IQvia (IMS). Gross profit margin is expected to be similar to other specialty medicines within the Commercial Medicines division
- The acquisition will be modestly EPS accretive in the current financial year as the product transitions to Clinigen, and at least 25% accretive in the first full financial year
- Clinigen has increased its debt facility from ?300m to ?375m; terms of the extended debt remain unchanged with the facility in place until October 2023
- Proleukin further diversifies the Commercial Medicines portfolio of niche hospital-only and critical care products. The Group currently owns three product assets within the US ? Foscavir?, Ethyol? and Totect? with commercial rights currently licensed to Pfizer (Foscavir) and Cumberland Pharmaceuticals (Ethyol and Totect)