Chiesi Closes Amryt Acquisition
Italian biopharma Chiesi has completed its acquisition of Irish rare disease drugmaker Amryt Pharma. The deal, which was originally announced in January, could be worth up to €1.4 billion for Amryt if certain milestones are met for its epidermolysis bullosa (EB) drug Filsuvez.
The European Medicines Agency approved Filsuvez for EB in June 2022. The drug accelerates the healing process in patients with EB, a rare inherited skin disorder that mostly affects children, causing chronic blistering, ulceration and scarring.
“We are excited to add the Amryt family to our company in this acquisition that demonstrates our commitment to rare diseases and aligns with our growth strategy through partnerships beyond internal research and development,” said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, adding that Amryt has “unique and clinically differentiated products and additional promising drugs in its pipeline.”
Chiesi Global Rare Diseases was formed in February 2020 to harness the full resources of its parent company in advancing research and new product development for rare and ultra-rare diseases. The business is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and is initially focusing on lysosomal storage disorders, rare hematology and ophthalmology disorders.
In February the company announced that its Lamzede drug received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for treating non-central nervous system manifestations of alpha-mannosidosis, an ultra-rare progressive lysosomal storage disorder.
Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist
