Sucampo acquires rare disease play Vtesse

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:SCMP) acquired rare disease company Vtesse Inc. (Gaithersburg, Md.) for $200 million. Vtesse shareholders are to receive $170 million in cash and 2.8 million Sucampo shares up front, plus royalties.

Sucampo will gain Vtesse's lead candidate VTS-270, which is in a pivotal Phase IIb/III study to treat Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1). The companies expect data in mid-2018, and hope to gain approval in both the U.S. and EU in 1H19. If FDA approves the product and Sucampo receives a rare pediatric disease Priority Review voucher, Vtesse shareholders would receive a share of revenue from the voucher's sale...