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news.AstraZeneca has completed the sale of its small molecule antibiotics business to Pfizer for $550m.
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As part of the deal, Pfizer has acquired the commercialisation and development rights of AstraZeneca’s approved antibiotics Merrem, Zinforo and Zavicefta as well as its ATM-AVI and CXL which are in the clinical development stage.
Accordingly, Pfizer has paid an upfront payment of $550m for the late-stage antibiotics business in all markets where AstraZeneca holds the rights, mainly outside the US.
It will make the deferred payment of the remaining $175m in January 2019.
Additionally, Pfizer had also agreed to make milestone payments for the small molecule antibiotics to AstraZeneca up to $250m and up to $600m related to sales and tiered royalties on sales of Zavicefta and ATM-AVI in select markets.
Pfizer Essential Health group president John Young said: “The addition of AstraZeneca’s complementary small molecule anti-infectives portfolio enhances our global expertise and offerings in an increasingly important area of therapeutics that addresses the public health needs of patients and healthcare professionals.
“Additionally this acquisition is an example of how we are focusing our investments to drive sustainable revenue growth potential for our Essential Health business.”
Approved recently in the European Union, Zavicefta is indicated for certain Gram-negative infections which are resistant to multi-drugs.
Launched in 2012, Zinforo, an intravenous cephalosporin antibiotic is used for treating complicated skin and soft tissue infections.
Merrem, a carbapenem anti-bacterial had been approved for treating serious infections in hospitalised patients including pneumonia, broncho-pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis, complicated urinary tract infections among others.
ATM-AVI, currently in Phase II development, is a bactericidal, injectable combination of aztreonam (ATM) and a β-lactamase inhibitor, avibactam. It is intended to treat certain life-threatening Gram-negative bacterial infections.
CXL, which is also in clinical development, is an injectable bactericidal β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination of ceftaroline fosamil (Zinforo).
Image: An AstraZeneca Research and Development centre in Shangai, China. Photo: courtesy of AstraZeneca.