AstraZeneca Completes $39 Billion Acquisition of Alexion, Entering Rare Diseases and Opening a New Chapter

July 22, 2021 /BioonBIOON/ --`AstraZeneca`(AstraZeneca) recently announced the completion of the acquisition ofRare Disease Giant Alexionthe acquisition of Pharmaceuticals (Alexion Pharmaceuticals). The completion of this acquisitionThis marks AstraZeneca's entry into the rare disease therapeutic area, ushering in a new chapter for AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca's plan to acquire Alexion was announced in December 2020,for $39 billionin the form of cash and stock. It is worth noting that this is the largest acquisition by AstraZeneca since its establishment in 1999 through the merger of two pharmaceutical companies from the UK and Sweden.

Through Alexion's innovativeComplement Biology PlatformandRobust Pipeline, AstraZeneca is currently inImmunologyThe scientific standing of the field has been strengthened, and will continue to advance the discovery and development of medicines for patients with rare diseases.Rare diseases represent a high-growth, rapidly innovating therapeutic area with significant unmet medical needs, and will become a high-growth opportunity for AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca will establish a dedicated business unit in Boston, US—the "Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease" division. Through this acquisition, AstraZeneca will expand its global footprint across primary, specialty, and highly specialized care, and is expected to deliver double-digit revenue growth by 2025, double-digit core earnings per share (EPS) growth in the first three years, alongside strong cash flow and increased dividends.

Currently,There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, but only about 5% of them have obtained U.S.FDA`Approved Therapeutic Drugs`. Demand in the global rare disease sector is expected to grow at a low double-digit percentage rate in the future.

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca, said: "Today, we welcome new colleagues from Alexion and AstraZeneca as we embark on a new chapter to drive the company's future growth. We areTumor, cardiovascular and renal as well as respiratory andImmunologyContinuous R&D investment in this area has driven AstraZeneca’s transformation, and we have now expanded into rare diseases, where there are currently very few approved treatment options.”

Alexion's Products, R&D Capabilities, and Complement Technology Platform (Click the image to view a larger version)

Alexion is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative drugs for rare diseases, with its main product beingTwo complement inhibitors, Soliris and Ultomiris.

Soliris is a first-in-class C5 complement inhibitor that exerts its therapeutic effect by inhibiting the C5 protein at the terminal portion of the complement cascade. The complement cascade is a component of the immune system, and its uncontrolled activation plays a critical role in a variety of severe rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Soliris was first approved in 2007 and has since been approved for multiple ultra-rare diseases, including: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolysis.`Uremia`syndrome (aHUS), generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Ultomiris is an upgraded version of Soliris, a second-generation, long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, first approved for marketing in late 2018, with approved indications including: PNH, aHUS.

Soliris is one of the world's best-selling rare disease drugs, with 2020 sales reaching $4.065 billion. Ultomiris recorded sales of $1.077 billion in 2020.The total sales of two C5 inhibitors reached $5.142 billion.

In addition to the aforementioned two C5 complement inhibitors, Alexion also has two rare disease drugs, Kanuma (sebelipase alfa) and Strensiq (asfotase alfa). The former is indicated for the treatment of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D), while the latter treats hypophosphatasia (HPP). Furthermore, Alexion's pipeline comprises more than 10 additional assets spanning multiple therapeutic areas. (Bioon.com)

Original Source:Acquisition of Alexion completed