Astellas Pharma has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Iveric Bio for US$40.00 per share in cash for a total equity value of approximately US$5.9 billion.
In the acquisition, Iveric Bio will become an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of Astellas.
“We are pleased to reach an agreement with Iveric Bio, a company with exceptional expertise in the R&D of innovative therapeutics in the ophthalmology field,” said Naoki Okamura, president and CEO, Astellas.
“Iveric Bio has promising programs including Avacincaptad Pegol (ACP), an important program for Geographic Atrophy (GA) secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), and capabilities across the entire value chain in the ophthalmology field. We believe that this acquisition will enable us to deliver greater VALUE to patients with ocular diseases at high risk of blindness.”
“This transaction with Astellas, a highly respected pharmaceutical company, demonstrates the significant value that we have built for our stockholders and recognizes the tremendous work by our dedicated team at Iveric Bio,” said Glenn P. Sblendorio, Chief Executive Officer of Iveric Bio.
“The opportunity to create a world-class entity with the ophthalmology expertise and capabilities of Iveric Bio and the global reach and resources of Astellas is unique and has the potential to benefit patients worldwide suffering from blinding retinal diseases, including GA,” said Pravin U. Dugel, MD, president of Iveric Bio.
