Enbrel maker Amjin will buy NewKi's Ozra for $13.4 billion

it seems that Amjin may not buy Alexion Pharmaceuticals at all. Instead, it is stepping up its efforts with psoriasis, which already sells the --- drug, the TNF inhibitor Enbrel.
Amro said monday that it would buy Ozra for $13.4 billion in cash under an agreement with U.S. antitrust authorities, a acquisition that could help TheBnex advance its $74 billion acquisition of The New Base.
dollars could easily dwarf some of the company's recent biopharmaceutical deals, demonstrating enthusiasm for the immunology and inflammation market led by Humira, the world's best-selling drug and Enbrel's rival. And it was well above analysts' previous estimates for Ozra, indicating a fierce bidding process for the fast-growing psoriasis drug, with second-quarter sales up 31 per cent year-on-year to $493m.
Amway CEO Robert Bradway said in a statement that Ozra represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen Amway's presence in inflammation and continue its geographic expansion. Ozra is an attractive product that has already achieved huge sales, although it is still in the early stages of its life cycle. But Bristol was forced to sell Ozra to win approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) simply because it overlapped with Bristol-Myers Segura's own study of TYK-2 inhibitor BMS-986165. How will the anti-competitive regulator allow two heavy-bomb drugs sold in the same adaptation to be placed under the same roof? Amjin is not worried. "We have a lot of confidence, but we want to respect the FTC's procedures and they'll review the case," Bradway said on a conference call. "At least J.P. Morgan analyst Cory Kasimov's team shared Amed's optimism, "because Shishi Shiguibao/NewKi will eventually sell the asset to buyers, they are confident of reducing additional FTC reviews," it wrote in a report on Monday.
Related: Who can catch Ozra in the crowded field of psoriasis? What's the price?The company expects the drug to grow at least double-digit average sales over the next five years. The consensus on Wall Street is that it will have a maximum sales of $2.5 billion before the U.S. patent expires in 2028. At this rate, assuming the deal is completed on schedule by the end of 2019, Amjin will be able to recover all of its investments at least around 2024.
estimates, analysts at RBC Capital Markets, Jeffery and Credit Suisse had expected the deal to reach $10bn. In addition to Amjin, some immunologists are suspected of being potential buyers, including Cosentyx marketers Novarce, Tremfya sellers Johnson and Johnson, AbbVie, Lilly and Gilead Technologies, who hope to get approval for oral JAK inhibitor filgotinib as soon as possible. But now, Amjin has become a winner, well above the $10 billion mark.
, Jefferies analyst Michael Yee said in an investor report on Monday that it was a "smart move" for Amjin. "Despite the price increases in the competitive process, Amiens is a great buyer for Ozra because Enbrel's sales staff can help them grow globally," he said.Ozra is currently approved in the United States for three types of allergies, including moderate to severe plaque-like psoriasis, psoriasis arthritis and its recently increased oral ulcers associated with Behçet disease. Several ongoing clinical projects may lead to additional label expansion. These include mild to moderate psoriasis, scalp and genital psoriasis, as well as a variety of pediatric adaptations, David Reese, Amjin's head of research and development, said on a conference call.
said: "We are thinking more about development and feel very good about clinical characteristics and the likelihood of success with these adaptations. As for its geographic expansion, Bradway said, "Ozra is well suited to some of Europe's largest markets, both for the Amgevita being launched by large biotech companies, for Humira biosimilars, and for its existing sales capabilities." Last week, there were rumors that Amgen was seeking to buy Alexion and its successor, Ultomiris, which produces $3 billion a year worth of soliris, a drug used to treat rare blood and neurological diseases. Analysts immediately backed the deal because, like Ozra, it could immediately add some recent revenue growth to Amjin, which has been affected by drug competition, including Neulasta and Sensipar. （cyy123.com）