Amgen and Servier Complete Product Collaboration Transaction

Amgen and the pharmaceutical company Servier have closed on a recently announced product collaboration for select cardiovascular drugs. The companies announced the early termination of the waiting period under the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 in connection with cardiovascular product collaboration announced on July 8, 2013, thereby completing the transaction.

Under the agreement, Amgen has obtained commercial rights in the United States to Servier's oral drug, approved in the European Union as Procoralan (ivabradine), for chronic heart failure and stable angina in patients with elevated heart rates. Amgen has also received an option to develop and commercialize Servier's investigational molecule, S38844, for cardiovascular diseases in the United States. Currently, S38844 is in Phase II studies for the treatment of heart failure. Through the collaboration, Servier has obtained an option to commercialize omecamtiv mecarbil in Europe. Omecamtiv mecarbil is a small-molecule activator of cardiac myosin and is currently being tested for potential applications in the treatment of heart failure in patients with systolic dysfunction.

Source: Amgen