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Novartis Delighted With Xiidra Deal Despite Eye-Watering Price

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Shire got hold of the eyedrop product in 2013 through its acquisition of SARcode which cost $160m and despite struggling on the market, Novartis is paying $3.4bn upfront to buy Xiidra.

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Novartis pays big bucks for dry eye drug • Source: Shutterstock

It was no surprise that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. was looking to divest Xiidra, which it got access to following the $62bn acquisition of Shire PLC earlier this year, but the amount that Novartis AG has agreed to pay for the dry eye drug has certainly raised eyebrows.

The Swiss giant is to pay $3.4bn upfront for Xiidra (lifitegrast) plus potential milestone payments of up to $1.9bn, a huge sum seeing as how Shire got hold of the eyedrop through its acquisition of SARcode Bioscience Inc. in 2013 which in total cost $160m

More from Deals

Will Other Major MASH Deals Follow GSK/Boston Pharma?

 
• By Joseph Haas

GSK’s $1.2bn payout for Boston Pharma’s efimosfermin is the first billion-dollar-plus MASH deal in nearly nine years, but several other advanced MASH programs could be positioned for takeout.

AbbVie Pays $335m Up Front To Partner With ADARx On siRNA Therapeutics

 
• By Mandy Jackson

ADARx CEO Zhen Li told Scrip the collaborators will advance novel siRNA medicines, but ADARx retains its clinical-stage and many preclinical programs and remains open to more deals.

Bluebird, Private Equity Firms Look To Sweeten Buyout Deal

 
• By Alaric DeArment

Shareholders are being offered a flat fee of $5 per share as an alternative to $3 plus a contingent value right, which could be a more attractive option if they want cash up front.

Novo Nordisk Looks To Septerna For Oral Obesity Options

 
• By Mary Jo Laffler

Deal Snapshot: The Danish drugmaker is partnering with GPCR drug discovery expert Septerna to develop multiple small molecules for cardiometabolic targets.

More from Business

Cipla Leadership’s Early Take On Trump’s Pricing EO And Pipeline Progress

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Cipla's CEO underlines that US generic prices are already “very significantly comparable” with the rest of the world and expects President Donald Trump's executive order on drug pricing to primarily impact branded pharmaceuticals. The company also shared updates on its US pipeline.

Multiple Launches Help Lilly’s Japan Growth

 
• By Ian Haydock

Lilly saw solid growth for its business in Japan last year on the back of several new launches and is building its obesity and Alzheimer's portfolios in the country.

AbbVie Pays $335m Up Front To Partner With ADARx On siRNA Therapeutics

 
• By Mandy Jackson

ADARx CEO Zhen Li told Scrip the collaborators will advance novel siRNA medicines, but ADARx retains its clinical-stage and many preclinical programs and remains open to more deals.