Allergan acquires Chase

Allergan plc (NYSE:AGN) said it acquired Chase Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Washington, D.C.) for $125 million up front, plus milestones tied to the company's lead candidate, CPC-201, to treat Alzheimer's disease. Allergan said it plans to begin a Phase III study of the compound next year.

Chase pairs complementary molecules with marketed AD drugs to improve the drugs' side effect profiles. CPC-201 combines marketed drug Aricept donepezil, a reversible acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, with solifenacin, a peripherally acting cholinergic blocker (see BioCentury, May 19, 2014)...