Roche buys US firm Anadys for $230 million
pharmafile | October 17, 2011 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Roche, hepatitis C
Roche has acquired US firm Anadys for $230 million, bolstering its infectious drugs pipeline.
California-based Anadys develops oral, small molecule therapeutics for the potential treatment of hepatitis C.
The firm’s most advanced drug candidate is setrobuvir (ANA598), a direct-acting antiviral compound that is currently undergoing Phase II studies in combination with Roche’s interferon drugs Pegasys and Copegus.
The deal will build Roche’s $175 million acquisition of US-based InterMune last year.
Roche said it would pay $3.70 per Anadys share, representing a 256% premium to the closing stock price of the firm on Friday 14 October.
Analysts speaking to the Wall Street Journal said the large premium of 256% reflects Roche’s hopes for Anadys’ early stage and experimental drug portfolio.
The takeover is part of Roche’s desire to develop drugs outside its oncology franchise, which currently brings in around half of Roche’s annual $50 billion sales.
Roche already has a substantial portion of the hepatitis C market with its Pegasys brand bringing in over $1.5 billion in sales last year.
Jean-Jacques Garaud, global head of Roche’s pharma research and early development department, said: “This acquisition augments our already strong HCV portfolio.
“Our aim is to offer physicians and hepatitis patients a powerful combination of therapies that bring us closer to a cure, even without the use of interferon.”
Garaud added that Anadys’ compounds provide additional modes of action to Roche’s drugs, which could lead to interferon-free treatment regimens without viral resistance.”
Steve Worland, chief executive of Anadys, said: “With Roche’s considerable capabilities and experience in HCV, this acquisition provides the best chance of success for the new potential treatments our team has been dedicated to developing.”
The hepatitis C market has recently seen a number of advances in treatment, with new drugs Incivek from J&J and Victrelis from Merck both touted to become blockbusters by 2015.
But the large and growing market place for hepatitis C – more than 180 million people world-wide suffer from the disease, many in poorer regions – means companies with new treatments are still hopeful of gaining a substantial share of the market.
In addition to its lead programme with setrobuvir Anadys is also developing ANA773, an oral, small-molecule inducer of innate immunity in Phase I trials that may prove useful for treating HCV as well as other chronic infections and cancer.
Ben Adams
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