1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Strategy

Arena Rises With Post-Belviq Pipeline

 
• By Mike Ward

Arena's valuation rose more than four-fold in 2017. CEO Amit Munshi discusses his plans for lead programs ralinepag and etrasimod following cost cutting and fundraising, and handing over rights to weight loss product Belviq to Eisai.

Video interview
Interview with Arena CEO Amit Munshi

Amit Munshi joined Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. as CEO in 2016 to turn the company around. He negotiated the handing over of rights to the weight loss product Belviq (lorcaserin) to partner Eisai Co. Ltd. , and set about refocusing the business on its lead programs ralinepag and etrasimod. (Also see "Beyond Belviq: Reinventing Arena To Focus On Phase II Candidates" - Scrip, 7 February, 2017.)

Cutting out costs of $100m and raising $270m from institutional investors, Arena saw its valuation rise from about $350m to...

Welcome to Scrip

Create an account to read this article

Already a subscriber?

More from Strategy

Kailera Eyes Global Obesity Market With Hengrui’s Phase III Dual Agonist

 
• By Joseph Haas

With China’s Hengrui reporting successful Phase III data for its dual GLP-1/GIP agonist, licensee Kailera is readying plans to demonstrate better efficacy than current obesity drugs.

Bayer’s Kerendia Gains Blockbuster Indication For Heart Failure

 
• By Joseph Haas

New US approval in heart failure with preserved or mildly reduced ejection fraction should add to Kerendia’s earning power on top of chronic kidney disease indication.

Takeda Prepares Ground For Oveporexton In Narcolepsy

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The drugmaker announced positive results from two Phase III trials for the drug in narcolepsy type 1 that analysts said bode well for the OX2R agonist class as a whole.

Leo Lands Another Big Pharma Pact With Boehringer Spevigo Deal

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Paying €90m upfront for rights to generalized pustular psoriasis drug.

More from Business

Q2 Korea Biotech Roundup: Licensing Deals End, Trials Progress, IPOs Recover

 
• By Jung Won Shin

Aside from several sizable global out-licensing deals, South Korean bioventures saw a cancellation of other alliances, updated their pipelines with losses and gains and reported clinical trial progress in the second quarter, while domestic IPO sentiment also improved.

Bayer’s Kerendia Gains Blockbuster Indication For Heart Failure

 
• By Joseph Haas

New US approval in heart failure with preserved or mildly reduced ejection fraction should add to Kerendia’s earning power on top of chronic kidney disease indication.

Takeda Prepares Ground For Oveporexton In Narcolepsy

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The drugmaker announced positive results from two Phase III trials for the drug in narcolepsy type 1 that analysts said bode well for the OX2R agonist class as a whole.