EUSA divests MAb and other research

UK-headquartered EUSA Pharma, a transatlantic specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology, pain control and critical care, says that it has divested its monoclonal antibody research business to the French firm International Drug Development. Concurrently, it has sold off its recombinant L-asparaginase therapeutic research program for acute lymphoblastic leukemia to the Alize Pharma Group. EUSA acquired both the antibody business and oncology program as part of its purchase of the French OPi SA company last year (Marketletter March 12, 2007). Financial terms of the disposals were not disclosed.

"These two transactions further underline EUSA's ongoing success in divesting early-stage programs while retaining a clear strategic focus on late-stage and marketed products," said Bryan Morton, chief executive of EUSA. "As we continue to rapidly build our business around our commercial infrastructure in the USA and Europe, we are creating the opportunity to compete effectively with major players as an attractive partner for companies seeking specialist transatlantic commercialization and late-stage development expertise in the oncology, pain control and critical care areas," he added.

EUSA's antibody research business is based in Dardilly, France, and consists of a team of R&D scientists, laboratories and a library of around 600 murine antibodies. The fully-human anti-interleukin-6 antibody, which EUSA recently out-licensed to UK drug giant GlaxoSmithKline for $44.0 million (Marketletter February 25), was the first therapeutic antibody to arise from this library. Other antibodies derived from the library target indications in oncology and inflammation.