Ipsen and Inspiration renegotiate hemophilia agreement

French drugmaker Ipsen (Euronext: IPN) said yesterday that it has renegotiated its 2010 strategic partnership agreement with privately-held US firm Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals for the development and commercialization of the latter’s recombinant product portfolio, worth a potential $1 billion for the US company.

This portfolio comprises OBI-1, a recombinant porcine factor VIII (rpFVIII) being developed for the treatment of patients with acquired hemophilia A and congenital hemophilia A with inhibitors, and IB1001, a recombinant factor IX (rFIX) for the treatment and prevention of bleeding in patients with hemophilia B.

The new agreement aims to establish an effective structure whereby Ipsen gains commercial rights in key territories, while Inspiration remains responsible for the world-wide development of OBI-1 and IB1001. The move follows last month’s clinical hold from the US Food and Drug Administration on two clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of IB1001 for hemophilia B (The Pharma Letter July 11).