Astellas completes Ogeda takeover

Under the share purchase agreement executed between Astellas and Ogeda shareholders, Astellas paid €500m to acquire 100% of the equity in Ogeda. Ogeda shareholders will become eligible to receive up to €300m in milestones relating to clinical progress of fezolinetant, Ogeda’s most advanced clinical programme for the treatment of menopausal-related vasomotor symptoms.

Astellas reflected the impact from this closing of transaction in its financial forecasts of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2018

With the acquisition, Astellas’ expands its clinical pipeline with fezolinetant, an oral compound targeting the NK3 receptor. The lead compound of Ogeda (formerly Euroscreen S.A.), fezolinetant (ESN364), is currently being developed in three Phase IIa programmes to treat different conditions: menopausal hot flashes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and uterine fibroids. Furthermore, Ogeda’s preclinical ulcerative colitis programme ESN 282 has been partnered with Merck & Co. Ogeda’s third published compound ESN601 in discovery stage is designed to treat autoimmune diseases.

In January, Ogeda announced positive results from a Phase IIa study for the non-hormonal treatment of menopause-related vasomotor symptoms (“MR-VMS”). In 80 patients, fezolinetant reduced the frequency of moderate-to-severe HF at week-4 by 89% from baseline compared to 38% for placebo, and 93% at week-12, compared to 54% for placebo. Fezolinetant also reduced HF severity at week 4 by 60% from baseline compared to 12% for placebo, and 70% at week-12 compared to 23% for placebo. No severe adverse events were reported in either treatment group. Mild-to-moderate adverse events were reported in 67% of the fezolinetant group and 80% in the placebo group.