AstraZeneca to Acquire Amolyt Pharma in Deal Worth Potentially $1.05 Billion

Hand shaking which print screen on wooden cube block in front of human icon for business deal and agreement concept | Image Credit: © Dilok – © Dilok - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: this story was originally published on BioPharmInternational.com.

On March 14, 2024 AstraZeneca announced its acquisition of Amolyt Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel treatments for rare endocrine diseases, in a deal worth potentially $1.05 billion. The transaction includes an $800 million upfront payment and a potential milestone payout of $250 million. With this acquisition, AstraZeneca will obtain eneboparatide (AZP-3601), Amolyt’s Phase III investigational therapeutic peptide that operates with a new mechanism of action intended to treat hypoparathyroidism.

Hypoparathyroidism is characterized by a deficiency in a patient’s parathyroid hormone (PTH) production, leading to severe dysregulation of calcium and phosphate. Patients suffer from life-altering symptoms and complications, including chronic kidney disease. An estimated 115,000 people in the United States and 107,000 people in the European Union, approximately 80% of whom are women, are affected by the disease, making it one of the largest rare diseases being studied.

Amolyt’s clinical pipeline also includes other therapeutic peptides under development to treat rare endocrine diseases. Among them is AZP-3813, a peptide growth hormone receptor antagonist in Phase I clinical development. AZP-3813 is intended for the potential treatment of acromegaly. With these peptides, especially eneboparatide, AstraZeneca aims to increase its rare disease pipeline, especially in bone metabolism and rare endocrinology.

“Chronic hypoparathyroid patients face a significant need for an alternative to current supportive therapies, which do not address the underlying hormone deficiency. As leaders in rare disease, Alexion is uniquely positioned to drive the late-stage development and global commercialization of eneboparatide, which has the potential to lessen the often debilitating impact of low parathyroid hormone and avoid the risks of high-dose calcium supplementation. We believe this program, together with Amolyt’s talented team, expertise and earlier pipeline, will enable our expansion into rare endocrinology,” said Marc Dunoyer, CEO, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, in a company press release.

This move follows other recent acquisitions that AstraZeneca has been making. In January, Pharmaceutical Technology© reported on the pharma company’s acquisitions of Icosavax (1) and Gracell (2), both of which were acquired for over a billion dollars. Icosavax’s acquition, which was finalized in February 2024 (3), marked another addition to AstraZeneca’s growing pipelines. In addition to these transactions, AstraZeneca also recently poured $828 million into its Liverpool and Cambridge manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom. The investement is to be used in research, development, manufacturing, and expansion. With the strengthening of these facilities and the continued acquisition of promising drug candidates, AstraZeneca is expected to boost its positioning in the UK pharmaceutical market.

References

1. Husni, D. AstraZeneca to Acquire Icosavax in Deal Valued at Approximately $1.1 Billion.PharmTech.com, Jan. 2, 2024.
2. Mirasol, F. AstraZeneca Poised to Acquire Cell Therapy Developer, Gracell, in Deal Valued at $1.2 Billion. PharmTech.com, Jan. 4, 2024.
3. Thomas, F. AstraZeneca Completes Acquisition of Icosavax. PharmTech.com, Feb. 21, 2024.

Sources: AstraZeneca, Amolyt