Date: 2014-07-11
Type of information: Company acquisition
Acquired company: AesRx (USA - MA)
Acquiring company: Baxter (USA - IL)
Amount: undisclosed
Terms: * On July 9, 2014, Baxter International announced the acquisition of AesRx, a private U.S. biopharmaceutical company focused on orphan drug targets, including the development and commercialization of Aes -103, an investigational prophylactic treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD). Baxter made an initial payment to acquire the company and may make additional future payments based on specified development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Details: This acquisition provides Baxter with Aes -103, a new compound to address sickle cell disease. Aes -103 is a first-in-class, oral, small molecule compound (5-hydroxymethylfurfural). Early studies indicate this allosteric modifier of hemoglobin binds to both normal and sickle hemoglobin. When bound to sickle hemoglobin Aes -103 stabilizes it in the high oxygen-affinity R-state, thereby reducing the sickling of red blood cells which, in turn, may reduce sickling-related outcomes such as vaso-occlusive crisis, pain, severe anemia, and fatigue. Aes -103 has received Orphan designation from the FDA and is eligible for Orphan designation in Europe. The compound, originally patented by Virginia Commonwealth University , was developed by a team from the VCU Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery , an interdisciplinary research center spanning the university\'s Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy. The Aes -103 program is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial. This trial, which began in September 2013, is part of an ongoing collaboration with the NIH\'s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through its Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) program. A double-blind, placebo-controlled 28-day trial of Aes-103 in patients with stable sickle cell disease, its primary endpoint is safety and tolerability of multiple doses of Aes-103. The effects of Aes-103 on sickle cell-related clinical endpoints as well as pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic measures are also being examined. Data has previously been presented from an escalating dose Phase I/2a safety study involving administration of a single dose among stable SCD patients. These data have been presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH abstract). The drug was found to be safe and well tolerated.
Related: Orphan drugs Rare diseases
