SOBI restructures Kineret and Kepivance deals

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (STO: SOBI) said this morning that it has acquired the full rights to develop and commercialize Kineret (anakinra) from US biotech giant Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) for all therapeutic indications.

The revised agreement, first signed in 2008 (The Pharma Letter December 22, 2008), builds on the previous accord  that gave SOBI rights for Kineret within the field of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and four orphan drug indications, including cryopyrin associated periodic syndrome (CAPS).

SOBI also acquired the right to additional data for Kepivance (palifermin), allowing the company to explore a potential new therapeutic indication based on two completed Phase III trials performed by Amgen. The two randomized double blind placebo controlled trials, involving over 400 patients, demonstrate the potential for Kepivance to reduce the incidence of severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing treatment for advanced head and neck cancer.