Pfizer Picks Up Anacor for $5.2 B

Pfizer is purchasing small drugmaker Anacor for $5.2 billion in a cash deal, one month after walking away from a $160 billion reverse-merger with Irish drugmaker Allergan.

The deal, which received unanimous support from both companies’ boards, will give Pfizer access to the drug candidate crisaborole, which already has an NDA pending approval with the FDA for eczema. The drug showed positive results on all primary and secondary endpoints in both of its Phase 3 studies.

In addition to crisaborole, Anacor has one approved drug — the toenail antifungal Kerydin —and three investigational compounds.