Union Therapeutics acquires LEO's PDE4i compound class

Privately held Danish drugmakers Union Therapeutics and LEO Pharma have completed a transaction for the former to acquire the global rights to the LEO PDE4 inhibitor compound series to be re-named UNI500.

UNI500 is a series of phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) inhibitors that were discovered by LEO Pharma. LEO Pharma has been developing candidates from this series from discovery into Phase II in psoriasis (orismilast, oral) and atopic dermatitis (orismilast, topical) and in both indications demonstrated superior effect over placebo in randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical studies.

PDE4 inhibitors are a class of compounds that are used to treat inflammatory diseases, including dermatological conditions. Among successful ones in the class is Otezla (apremilast), which was developed by Celgene, though as a condition of its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), it was sold on to Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) for some $13.4 billion. The drug generated revenues of $479 million in the first quarter of this year and is forecast to have peak sales of around $2.5 billion.