Amgen to snap up KAI Pharma for $315 million

11 April 2012

In a second acquisition announced so far this year, global biotech leader Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) said yesterday that it has agreed to buy KAI Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco, for a cash consideration of $315 million).

KAI's lead product candidate, KAI-4169, is a novel agent being initially studied for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are on dialysis. SHPT, a component of CKD mineral and bone disorder (MBD), is a common and serious complication for patients with CKD who are on dialysis.

Through this acquisition, Amgen will acquire worldwide rights, excluding Japan, to KAI-4169, excluding Japan, where the drug is out-licensed to local drugmaker Ono Pharmaceuticals (TYO: 4528; The Pharma Letter September 19, 2011). The Japanese accord earned KAI an upfront $13 million and the potential for significant - but undisclosed - development, regulatory and commercialization milestones. KAI will also receive a royalty on sales.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK