NEW YORK, May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) announced today that it will acquire royalties and milestones on frexalimab owned by ImmuNext, Inc. for approximately $525 million in cash including estimated transaction costs. ImmuNext, a privately-held biotechnology company, is entitled to a royalty on net sales of frexalimab and milestones related to the achievement of regulatory and clinical events and commercial sales.
Frexalimab, in development by Sanofi, is a first-in-class, second generation anti-CD40 ligand monoclonal antibody. Frexalimab is in three Phase 3 clinical studies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Phase 2 clinical studies for systemic lupus erythematosus and Type 1 Diabetes are ongoing. Sanofi stated that potential non-risk-adjusted peak sales for frexalimab may be greater than €5 billion (December 7, 2023 R&D Day). Sanofi anticipates filing a biologics license application (BLA) for relapsing multiple sclerosis with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 2027. Worldwide sales of MS therapies amounted to approximately $25 billion in 2023 according to IQVIA.
Pablo Legorreta, Royalty Pharma’s founder and Chief Executive Officer said, “This transaction will expand our attractive and growing development-stage portfolio with a next-generation immunology therapy. Frexalimab has the potential to achieve high efficacy without the chronic depletion of the immune system commonly associated with currently available MS therapies. In light of frexalimab’s exciting Phase 2 study results in MS and its significant potential in a wide range of immune-mediated diseases, we believe frexalimab is a potentially transformative therapy for patients.”
Following this transaction, Royalty Pharma will have 15 therapies in its development-stage portfolio, 11 of which will be in Phase 3 development or undergoing regulatory review. In aggregate, on a non-risk adjusted basis, Royalty Pharma’s development-stage pipeline will have the potential to generate combined peak royalties significantly greater than $1 billion per year.
Transaction Terms
Under the terms of ImmuNext’s licensing agreement with Sanofi, ImmuNext is entitled to receive an upward tiering net royalty ranging from a high-single digit to low-double digit percentage of worldwide net sales of frexalimab. As a result of today’s announced transaction, Royalty Pharma will receive 100% of net royalties on annual worldwide net sales of frexalimab of up to $2.0 billion and share a minority of the royalties above this threshold with ImmuNext shareholders.
In addition, the acquisition will include substantial potential milestone payments from Sanofi.
Royalty Pharma estimates frexalimab, if approved, will generate royalties through 2041.
The acquisition is subject to customary, administrative closing conditions and is expected to close in May 2024.
Advisors
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Fenwick and Maiwald acted as legal advisors to Royalty Pharma. Goodwin Procter LLP acted as legal advisors and Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisors to ImmuNext.
About Royalty Pharma
Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry, collaborating with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and non-profits through small and mid-cap biotechnology companies to leading global pharmaceutical companies. Royalty Pharma has assembled a portfolio of royalties which entitles it to payments based directly on the top-line sales of many of the industry’s leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry both directly and indirectly – directly when it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties, and indirectly when it acquires existing royalties from the original innovators. Royalty Pharma’s current portfolio includes royalties on more than 35 commercial products, including Vertex’s Trikafta, GSK’s Trelegy, Roche’s Evrysdi, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, Biogen’s Tysabri and Spinraza, AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson’s Imbruvica, Astellas and Pfizer’s Xtandi, Novartis’ Promacta, Pfizer’s Nurtec ODT and Gilead’s Trodelvy, and 15 development-stage product candidates.
