AstraZeneca, Ironwood deal
AstraZeneca granted Ironwood exclusive, U.S. rights to Zurampic lesinurad, which FDA approved in December in combination with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor to treat hyperuricemia associated with gout. Ironwood said it plans to launch Zurampic next half. Ironwood also gained U.S. rights to products containing Zurampic for gout, including a fixed-dose combination of Zurampic and allopurinol, for which AZ plans to submit an NDA next half to FDA.
AZ will receive $100 million up front and is eligible for up to $165 million in milestones, plus tiered single-digit royalties. The milestones include $15 million upon FDA approval of the Zurampic/allopurinol combo. AZ gained Zurampic via its 2012 acquisition of Ardea Biosciences Inc. for $1.3 billion. Zurampic is a selective solute carrier family 22 organic anion urate transporter member 12 ( SLC22A12; URAT1) inhibitor (see BioCentury, April 30, 2012 & Jan. 4, 2016). ...