Aicuris buyout, Gyre/Cullgen merger are latest Pacific-crossing deals

Cross-border agreements spanning Asia and the West continued to be in vogue this week, with an Asahi Kasei subsidiary buying Germany-based Aicuris for a high nine-digit sum in the week’s largest deal.

The Veloxis Pharmaceuticals Inc. division of Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo:3407) is acquiring Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG for €780 million ($920.6 million), gaining clinical candidates to treat and protect immunocompromised subjects. Aicuris’ pritelivir has met the primary endpoint in a Phase III study to treat HSV, showing superiority to other treatments in those with weakened immune systems; the company is also advancing Phase II-ready AIC468 to protect kidney transplant recipients from BK virus...