Allergan purchases Tobira Therapeutics and Akarna Therapeutics

Allergan has announced the acquisitions of Tobira Therapeutics and Akarna Therapeutics, two developers of treatments for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other liver diseases.

The company will pay up to $1.695 billion (1.31 billion pounds) to purchase Tobira, while the Akarna deal involves an initial upfront payment of $50 million, plus potential clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments related to its lead development compound, AKN-083.

AKN-083 is a potentially best-in-class preclinical farnesoid X receptor agonist in development for the treatment of NASH, and is thought to be highly complementary to Tobira's compounds cenicriviroc and evogliptin.

These acquisitions align with Allergan's aim of strengthening its capabilities in the field of NASH, a severe condition characterised by the accumulation of fat in the liver with no other apparent cause.

It can lead to fibrosis of the liver and eventually progress to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, liver cancer and eventual liver failure. The disease is believed to be one of the next epidemic-level chronic conditions that the world will need to address.

Brent Saunders, chief executive officer and president of Allergan, said: "It is important that we invest in new treatments today so that healthcare systems, providers and patients have treatment options to face this challenge in the coming years."

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