Swiss biotech unloads US rights to Duchenne candidate for $231M
Santhera, a Swiss biotech waiting to see if the FDA will approve its steroid vamorolone for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the fall, is handing off commercialization rights in the US to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals.
The news, announced early Tuesday morning, grants Santhera a $90 million upfront payment, which includes $75 million in cash and $15 million in equity.
Catalyst is also set to buy roughly 14.1 million shares at just under 95 Swiss franc cents each, which is expected to finance Phase IV studies for vamorolone in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and work on additional indications for the still investigational drug.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.