FibroGen, AstraZeneca in anemia deal
FibroGen Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.) and AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) partnered to develop and commercialize FibroGen's anemia compound FG-4592 worldwide, excluding the countries in which Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo:4503) already has rights. FibroGen and AstraZeneca will co-develop and co-commercialize the product in the U.S. and China, while AstraZeneca will have development and commercialization rights in the other territories covered by the deal. FibroGen will receive $350 million in an undisclosed upfront and non-contingent payments, and is eligible for up to $465 million in development milestones, plus undisclosed sales milestones and tiered royalties.
FG-4592, a small molecule inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase ( HIF-PH; EGLN), is in Phase III testing to treat anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. FibroGen and AZN said they plan to develop the product to treat anemia in CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, though the deal may be extended to include additional anemia indications. ...