Amgen to Purchase Dezima Pharma for $300 Million

Amgen is acquiring Dutch biotechnology company Dezima Pharma for $300 million plus up to $1.25 billion in milestone payments, the companies announced last week.

Dezima is developing TA-8995, an oral, once-daily cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibitor that reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 45 percent to 48 percent compared to baseline in a Phase 2b clinical trial for dyslipidemia.

TA-8995 will complement Amgen’s Repatha (evolocumab), a recently launched LDL-C lowering PCSK9 inhibitor. The portfolio will let the company offer more treatment options across varying LDL-C levels and risk profiles, says Sean Harper, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen.

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp., which holds licensing rights to TA-8995, will receive a portion of the upfront payment from Dezima, future milestone payments and threshold royalties. MTPC will also retain development and commercialization rights in certain territories in Asia, including Japan.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. — Jonathon Shacat