Depomed buys Janssen's Nucynta analgesics for $1.1B

Depomed Inc. (NASDAQ:DEPO) acquired U.S. rights to the Nucynta tapentadol analgesic franchise from the Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. unit of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) for $1.1 billion. The deal includes extended-release Nucynta ER and immediate release Nucynta IR, as well as an oral solution of Nucynta that has yet to be launched.

Depomed will assume royalty payments to Gruenenthal Group (Aachen, Germany), the drugs' originator. J&J retains rights in Canada and Japan to the mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. ...