Takeda wins rights to anaemia drug

Takeda, the Japanase pharmaceutical manufacturer, has announced it has won an exclusive licence to develop and commercialise Hematide, an anaemia drug developed by Affymax, outside the US.

Hematide, a synthetic peptide-based erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, is currently undergoing phase II clinical trials in patients with anaemia linked with dialysis, pre-dialysis and chemotherapy. It is aimed at reducing morbity and reduce the need for blood transfusions in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The two companies had already signed an agreement allowing Takeda to market Hematide in Japan. This latest deal for worldwide rights involves a $105 million (57.4 million pounds) upfront payment for the rights, with further milestone payments of up to $280 million. Affymax will be responsible for the manufacture of the drug, while Takeda will provide packaging and distribution globally.

Yasuchika Hasegawa, Takeda’s president, said: “The opportunity to fully-commercialise Hematide is highly compatible with Takeda’s strategy to grow our core therapeutic franchises in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and oncology.”

“We are very pleased to be able to expand our collaboration with Affymax on such a strategically important product to the worldwide market,” he added.

Arlene M Morris, president and chief executive of Affymax, concluded: “Takeda is an ideal global partner because they have the development experience, global commercial capabilities, and financial resources to assist us in our efforts to bring Hematide to market worldwide.”

According to the Renal Association’s concise guide to chronic kidney disease, renal replacement therapies like dialysis are very expensive but the numbers of patients using them are rising, costing two per cent of the overall NHS budget. The association said that any improvement in the cost-effectiveness of treatments would be “highly desirable”.

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