Allergan acquires Akarna Therapeutics

DUBLIN — On the same day that it announced the acquisition of Tobira Therapeutics, Allergan acquired Akarna Therapeutics, a biotech company that, like Tobira, focuses on developing treatments for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe type of fatty liver disease.

 

Allergan will be acquiring Akarna Therapeutics and its portfolio of developing treatments for an upfront payment of $50 million plus potential clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments around its lead compound AKN-083. AKN-083, the company said is highly complementary to the two compounds being developed by Tobira Therapeutics. 

 

“The acquisition of Akarna adds to our strategic approach to investing in innovation to advance the treatment of NASH for millions of patients who currently do not have therapeutic options to treat the disease,” Allergan president and CEO Brent Saunders said. “We look forward to advancing this unique compound into later stages of development, and to advancing our overall portfolio of NASH programs, as we focus on bringing forward effective treatments for this critical disease area.”