Daiichi Sankyo Enters Partnership with Ultragenyx for a Total of $225 Million

Daiichi Sankyo, a pharmaceutical company based in Japan, announced on April 1, 2020 that it has entered into a partnership with Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in Novato, CA, for use of Ultragenyx’s proprietary adeno associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy manufacturing technology.

Through the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo will provide an upfront payment of $125 million to Ultragenyx along with additional payments of $25 million for technology transfer and sales royalties of products manufactured by Ultragenyx’s technology, and $75 million for Ultragenyx’s common stock, a Daiichi Sankyo press release said.

Following the technology transfer, Daiichi Sankyo plans to expand its manufacturing capacity by starting the manufacture of investigational drugs for AAV gene therapy by the middle of 2020 with Ultragenyx’s assistance, according to the press release.

Source: Daiichi Sankyo