Allergan completes Tobira Therapeutics acquisition

 

DUBLIN — Allergan’s has completed its $1.7 billion acquisition of clinical-stage biopharma company Tobira Therapeutics, the company announced Tuesday. Tobira focuses on developing and commercializing treatments for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other liver diseases. Allergan paid $28.35 per share of the company, as well as contingent value rights, potentially payable upon completion of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones. 

 

"The completion of the acquisition of Tobira positions Allergan well in developing novel treatments for NASH, a disease set to become one of the next epidemic-level chronic diseases society faces," said David Nicholson, Chief R&D Officer, Allergan. "Both the CVC and Evogliptin programs provide highly differentiated compounds that can make a significant impact in the treatment of NASH, where today there are no approved therapies available for patients."

 

The acquisition of Tobira was announced the same day in September as Allergan’s planned acquisition of another company focused on developing treatments for NASH. The Tobira acquisition adds two development programs, Cenicriviroc and Evogloptin to Allergan’s global gastroenterology research and development pipeline.  

 

In April, Drug Store News spoke to Diplomat Pharmacy emerging therapeutics analyst Ryan Chandanais, who said that NASH — a type of fatty liver disease whose fat accumulation is accompanied by inflammation and cellular damage — is a disease state whose lack of approved treatment is garnering drugmakers’s attention.