UCB said that it is paying $125 million up front, plus up to $145 million in potential milestone payments, to acquire Engage Therapeutics. Engage has a single candidate, Staccato inhaled alprazolam, which is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of epileptic seizures. Engage acquired Staccato alprazolam from Alexza in 2017, and UCB says that it will continue to develop the inhaler in partnership with Alexza under updated licensing and supply agreements.
UCB Executive VP and Head of Neurology Charl van Zyl commented, “Like UCB, Engage is a company with a deep-seated passion in epilepsy. Several of Engage’s founders and leaders have personal connections to epilepsy and have been active in the epilepsy community for quite some time. Staccato alprazolam is an excellent strategic fit with our patient value growth strategy in epilepsy. It offers a potential solution for acute, on-demand treatment of a seizure, an unmet need for up to 30% of all epileptic patients, and strengthens our current epilepsy portfolio by adding this late-stage asset.”
In November 2019, UCB announced the US launch of its Nayzilam midazolam nasal spray for the treatment of seizure clusters. UCB acquired Nayzilam from Proximagen in April 2018, and the FDA approved the nasal spray in May 2019.
Read the UCB press release.
