Ligand Pharma To Acquire APEIRON Biologics For USD 100 Million

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company, delcared that it has forayed into a definitive contract to acquire APEIRON Biologics AG, which holds royalty rights to QARZIBA® (dinutuximab beta) for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma, for USD 100 million in cash. Also, Ligand will pay APEIRON shareholders extra consideration based on future commercial and regulatory events, including up to USD 28 million if QARZIBA royalties exceed certain predetermined thresholds by either 2030 or 2034, respectively.

APEIRON is a private biopharmaceutical organization situated in Vienna, Austria. For the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma in patients over the age of twelve, the company co-developed QARZIBA and was endorsed by the European Prescriptions Organization in 2017 and is commercially accessible today in excess of 35 nations. Recordati S.p.A., a leading global pharmaceutical company with a presence in over 150 countries and sales of more than $2.2 billion2, and BeiGene, Ltd. each pay APEIRON an undisclosed royalty on net sales of QARZIBA outside of mainland China.

“The addition of QARZIBA to our commercial royalty portfolio further supports our growth strategy to invest in high-value medicines that deliver significant clinical value and generate predictable and long-term revenue streams for our investors,” said Todd Davis, CEO of Ligand. “QARZIBA is the only immunotherapy for high-risk neuroblastoma marketed across Europe and in other parts of the world. We believe this drug will be a meaningful contributor to our royalty revenue, which is now driven by a diversified portfolio of 12 key commercial-stage products."