{"id":14178,"date":"2013-06-10T13:10:51","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T17:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=14178"},"modified":"2014-01-10T11:00:57","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T16:00:57","slug":"astrazeneca-acquires-respiratory-disease-therapy-developer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=14178","title":{"rendered":"AstraZeneca Acquires Respiratory Disease Therapy Developer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pascal<\/a>
Pascal Soriot (AstraZeneca UK Ltd)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca<\/a> is buying Pearl Therapeutics<\/a> in Redwood City, California, a developer of treatments for chronic respiratory diseases. The deal is valued initially at $560 million, but has a total potential value of $1.15 billion, adding in subsequent milestone and royalty payments.<\/p>\n

The seven year-old Pearl Therapeutics develops small-molecule treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease<\/a> (COPD) and asthma. COPD is a group of progressive disorders including emphysema that make breathing difficult and resulting in mucus buildups in the lungs.<\/p>\n

COPD is most associated with tobacco smoke<\/a>, and most people with COPD are current or former smokers, but it can also be triggered by long-term exposure to pollutants or chemical fumes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> says some 15 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, and in 2011 it was the third leading cause of death in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Pearl Therapeutics’ drug-delivery technology<\/a> provides stable aerosol suspensions of porous particles that work in metered dose inhalers using environmentally-friendly hydrofluoroalkane propellants. Earlier inhalers had propellants made from chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere and were phased out in 2008<\/a>. Metered dose inhalers are the most widely used method for delivering COPD and asthma drugs.<\/p>\n

The company’s lead product, code-named PT003<\/a>, is a combination of the drugs glycopyrrolate<\/a> and formoterol<\/a> taken twice a day with a metered dose inhaler. Pearl Therapeutics says PT003 is in late-stage (phase 3) clinical trials, having completed early safety and small-sample efficiacy tests.<\/p>\n

Under the deal, AstraZeneca will pay an initial $560 million for all Pearl Therapeutic shares, with another $450 million contingent on development and regulatory milestones from future selected products made with Pearl Therapeutic’s technology, including triple-combination products. Up to $140 million in additional payments will be made contingent on exceeding pre-agreed sales targets.<\/p>\n

Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s CEO (pictured at top), says the acquisition will bolster AstraZeneca’s respiratory product line that includes combination treatments delivered with an inhaler. The company aims to develop a triple-combination product that adds inhaled corticosteroids to Pearl Therapeutics’ PT003 ingredients.<\/p>\n

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