Amgen has agreed to acquire KAI Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company. KAI’s lead product candidate, KAI-4169, is being studied for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic kidney disease who are on dialysis. Through this acquisition, Amgen will acquire worldwide rights, excluding Japan, to KAI-4169. Under the agreement, Amgen will pay $315 million in cash to acquire KAI, and provide a loan, prior to deal closing, to enable Phase III clinical development planning for KAI-4169. The transaction has been approved by the stockholders of KAI and by the board of directors of each company. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Following the completion of the transaction, KAI will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen. Read More

Catalent Pharma Solutions and BASF have formed a bioavailability collaboration under which the companies will combine their respective expertise to provide pharmaceutical customers with a range of solutions to address challenges with Class II and IV poorly bioavailable compounds. Read More

GE Healthcare has signed a worldwide supply and distribution agreement with Refine Technology, a manufacturer and supplier of filtration systems for use in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Under the agreement, GE Healthcare will supply Refine Technology with its hollow-fiber filtration cartridges for use with Refine Technology’s ATF system, a cell-retention device used in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals to generate high concentrations of cells ready for further processing. Read More

FDA decided that Teva Pharmaceuticals USA is sole first-to-file for both Orange Book patents listed for Provigil (modafinil) and therefore Teva’s abbreviated new drug application alone is entitled to 180-day exclusivity. Cephalon launched generic Provigil on Mar. 29, 2012, and FDA has also decided that such launch triggered the exclusivity. However, Mylan Pharmaceuticals has filed suit against FDA in a US district court seeking to overturn FDA’s decision. Read More–Teva, Read More–Mylan

Industry Briefs:

A roundup of additional company and people news from pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, their suppliers, and contract-service providers. Read More