Change of course for Big pharma, from acquisitions to alliances with Biotech

In the past (not too distant) there were big pharmaceutical mergers. Today, however, Big Pharma seems to have taken another path to research promising new medicines or development and production technologies and prefer collaborations with young biotech companies, rather than real purchase agreements. In fact, entering into "alliances" is much less complicated and significantly less expensive, just think that the main regulatory problems that are part of acquisitions are not found in partnership agreements.

An example of this change of course, as shown by Forbes through an analysis of the global drug industry, was the strategic move by Celgene, which invested approximately one billion dollars in cash and shares of Juno Therapeutics. The company could have successfully completed the full acquisition of Juno, which specializes in cancer drugs that use patients' immune systems to attack tumors. The fact that he chose instead to collaborate suggests that this is indeed the most practical and cost-effective way to win the technology developed by Juno. And in this wake, analysts expect more collaborations and partnerships: other large companies are busy researching advanced technologies against cancer.

Other companies that could be of interest to Big Pharma include Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, a promising young biotech, which has developed a special immunotherapy platform, and Dipexium Pharmaceuticals, which is evaluating potential partnership opportunities to commercialize its product, Locilex, against diabetic foot, in Europe. The European Medicines Agency has informed the company that it will be able to apply for authorization for the product based on the results of ongoing phase III clinical trials in the United States without the need for further studies. As a result, Dipexium now plans to apply for EU authorization next year. "There is no drug approved for these disorders - said David Luci, CEO of the company - those currently recommended are off-label and involve a series of risks, such as resistance to antibiotics".

Of Redazione Aboutpharma Online – 13 luglio 2015