BY Richard Summerfield
Pharmaceutical firm Novartis has agreed to buy clinical stage biopharmaceutical company Chinook Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $3.5bn.
The transaction values Seattle-based Chinook at $40 a share, compared to Friday’s closing price of under $24, a premium of 67 percent. The agreement includes another $300m if certain regulatory milestones are reached. The deal is subject to approval from the stockholders of Chinook and regulatory clearances and will conclude in the second half of 2023. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.
The deal is a merger of a newly formed subsidiary of Novartis with Chinook, which has two late-stage medicines currently under development to treat IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a rare, progressive chronic kidney disease.
Novartis is pursuing Chinook to take control of two late-stage drug candidates. The most advanced of the assets is atrasentan, an oral endothelin A receptor antagonist that Chinook picked up from AbbVie in 2019 in a deal worth up to $135m in milestones.
“IgA Nephropathy is a devastating disease mostly affecting young adults and potentially leading to dialysis or kidney transplantation,” said Vas Narasimhan, chief executive of Novartis. “We are excited by this unique opportunity to address one of society’s most challenging healthcare issues, with the potential to bring additional much-needed treatment options to patients. We look forward to closing the deal, to a smooth transition for Chinook employees and to welcoming them to Novartis.”
“We are pleased that Novartis recognizes the significant value that the Chinook team has built with our pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs for patients with rare, severe chronic kidney diseases,” said Eric Dobmeier, president and chief executive of Chinook Therapeutics. “We believe this transaction is great news for kidney disease patients and the programs we have built at Chinook. Through this merger, Novartis can apply its substantial resources to pursue broader development efforts and commercialization of atrasentan, zigakibart (BION-1301) and other programs in our pipeline to build its global renal therapeutic area.”
News: Novartis to buy Chinook for up to $3.5 bln in boost to late-stage pipeline