Sucampo to Acquire R-Tech Ueno for $278 Million

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals is paying $278 million to acquire Japanese drugmaker R-Tech Ueno, which manufactures the constipation drug Amitiza for Sucampo and its commercialization partners, Takeda, Mylan and Harbin Gloria Pharmaceuticals.

The cash and stock deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, will give Sucampo manufacturing and supply chain control of Amitiza in a move to control costs, the company says.

The deal also gives Sucampo the rights to developmental drugs in major therapeutic areas such as gastroenterology, ophthalmology, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and oncology. It also bolsters Sucampo’s pipeline with candidates for diseases with unmet needs, such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Amitiza (lubiprostone) is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation, chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome in women resulting in constipation. — Kellen Owings