Ushibi plans to spend about $1.9 billion to acquire Zogenix

▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor On January 19, 2022, UCB (UCB) announced that it has reached an acquisition agreement with Zogenix
.

Proposed acquisition of Zogenix for about $1.
9 billion
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UCB will acquire Fintepla (fenfluramine) oral solution while expanding its clinical development pipeline for the treatment of epilepsy and rare diseases
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Fintepla is FDA-approved for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome in patients 2 years of age and older
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Zogenix is ​​also pursuing Fintepla for other rare epilepsy indications, such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and CDKL5 deficiency (CDD)-related seizures
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The FDA has recently granted Priority Review status to Fintepla's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the treatment of LGS
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Dravet syndrome is a rare childhood-onset epilepsy characterized by frequent and severe intractable seizures, associated hospitalizations and medical emergencies, significant developmental and motor impairment, and an increased risk of unexpected sudden death
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LGS is a severe age-dependent epileptic encephalopathy that usually occurs in children aged 3 to 5 years, accounting for 1% to 10% of childhood epilepsy
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CDKL5 deficiency (CDD), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the CDKL5 gene, develops infantile spasms within the first few weeks of life and subsequently develops intractable epilepsy
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 Fintepla, developed by Zogenix, is a low-dose fenfluramine in liquid form
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Fenfluramine was developed as an appetite suppressant diet pill in the 1960s and was approved in the United States in 1973
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It may reduce the frequency of seizures by modulating serotonin machinery and sigma-1 receptor activity
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The drug has been granted orphan drug designation by the United States and the European Union, and has also been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the US FDA
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"The acquisition of Zogenix provides an approved drug for the treatment of fatal rare infantile and childhood-onset epilepsy characterized by frequent and severe intractable seizures
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" UCB Executive Vice President Neurology and Europe/ "Leveraging our expertise, experience and global strength, we plan to accelerate patient access to this therapy," said Charl van Zyl, head of international markets.
"We plan to accelerate patient access to this therapy,
"
said Dr.
Stephen J.
Farr, president and CEO of Zogenix .
Glad that UCB recognizes the value of our flagship drug, which is expected to benefit more patients in the future
.

” Reference: [1] UCB to acquire Zogenix.
Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https:// /stories-media/Press-Releases/article/UCB-to-acquire-Zogenix Disclaimer: The WuXi AppTec content team focuses on global biomedical health research progress
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.