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Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG has entered into a definitive agreement under which Japan's Asahi Kasei, through its wholly owned US subsidiary Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., will acquire all shares of Aicuris for a total of €780 million (~$920 million).
The acquisition will enable Asahi Kasei to strategically expand its portfolio of therapies designed to treat severe viral infections, addressing critical infectious complications faced by patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplants and other immunologically driven conditions.
Aicuris has established a strong track record in developing antiviral therapies for people with weakened immune systems, for whom otherwise manageable infections can become life-threatening.
Building on its flagship product PREVYMIS® (marketed by MSD) for cytomegalovirus infection prevention in a defined group of transplant recipients, Aicuris’ wholly owned late-stage candidate pritelivir met the primary endpoint in a global Phase 3 trial in refractory herpes simplex virus infection and demonstrated statistical superiority versus investigator’s choice in immunocompromised patients.
The company’s pipeline also includes AIC468, a Phase 2-ready therapeutic candidate designed to specifically treat and protect kidney transplant recipients from potentially severe consequence of BK virus (BKV) reactivation.
By leveraging its US-based transplant‑center channel and renal‑disease network, Asahi Kasei aims to accelerate the commercialisation of products currently in the development pipeline. Furthermore, Asahi Kasei seeks to maximise the value of Aicuris’ development pipeline by harnessing the synergies derived from the companies’ combined research and development strengths in the field of infectious diseases, together with Asahi Kasei’s extensive intellectual property expertise.
