Teva acquires Labrys in a deal that could reach $825 million

JERUSALEM – Teva Pharmaceutical and Labrys Biologics, a privately-held development stage biotechnology company focused on treatments for chronic migraine and episodic migraine, on Tuesday announced that Teva has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Labrys in a deal for $200 million in upfront payment in cash at closing as well as up to $625 million in contingent payments upon achievement of certain pre-launch milestones.



Potential peak sales for Labrys’ LBR-101, currently under development, are estimated to reach $2 billion to $3 billion, Teva reported.



With the goal of becoming a global leader in pain by 2020, the Labrys acquisition adds a significant migraine prophylaxis dimension to Teva’s extensive pain care franchise, which includes a range of investigational, approved and marketed treatments for migraine, cancer pain and chronic pain, the company noted.



Labrys is developing LBR-101, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to calcitonin gene-related peptide currently in Phase IIb clinical trials for prevention of chronic and episodic migraine. Teva’s acquisition of the LBR-101 program targeting high frequency episodic and chronic migraine clearly complements the recent addition of Zecuity, a therapy for the acute treatment of migraine, obtained through the acquisition of NuPathe.



“More than 8.5 million people in the U.S., EU and Japan suffer from episodic or chronic migraine requiring preventative treatment, a condition that can destroy their quality of life,” stated  Michael Hayden , Teva’s president of global R&D and chief scientific officer. “CGRP is a well-validated target in migraine, and Labrys has progressed the development of LBR-101 with scientific rigor and excellence. With its long half-life, target specificity and favorable pharmacokinetic profile allowing for infrequent, and convenient, subcutaneous administration, LBR-101 represents a very exciting biologic product candidate, and much needed option, for the management of this truly debilitating condition.”



The closing of this transaction is subject to antitrust clearance and satisfaction of other conditions.