Sun Pharma buys US-based Concert Pharmaceuticals for $576 M

19 January 2023 | News

Strengthens Sun Pharma’s global dermatology franchise by adding a late-stage product in an area with significant unmet need

image credit- shutterstock

image credit- shutterstock

Sun Pharmaceutical and Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have executed a definitive agreement under which Sun Pharma will acquire all outstanding shares of Concert through a tender offer for an upfront payment of $8.00 per share of common stock in cash, or $576 million in equity value.  

Concert is a late-stage biotechnology company pioneering the use of deuterium in medicinal chemistry. The company has an extensive patent portfolio, including its lead product candidate deuruxolitinib – an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases JAK1 and JAK2 for the treatment of Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune dermatological disease – which is in late-stage development. Concert has completed the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of deuruxolitinib in adult patients with moderate to severe Alopecia Areata in its THRIVE-AA Phase 3 clinical programme and two open label, long-term extension studies are ongoing in North America and Europe.

Sun Pharma’s immediate focus would be to follow Concert’s plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first half of 2023.

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in partial or complete loss of hair on the scalp and body. Alopecia Areata may affect up to 2.5% of the United States and global population during their lifetime . The scalp is the most commonly affected area, but any hair-bearing site can be affected alone or together with the scalp. Onset of the disease can occur throughout life and affects both women and men. Alopecia Areata can be associated with serious psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression. There are currently limited treatment options available for Alopecia Areata. 

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