Otsuka Announces Plans to Buy Avanir for $3.5 Billion

Article

Japanese drugmaker Otsuka announced plans to buy CNS-specialist Avanir Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion in an all-cash tender offer.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical announced on Dec. 2, 2014 that it had reached an agreement in which Otsuka America, its US subsidiary, would acquire Avanir Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion. Avanir, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in central nervous system (CNS) diseases, is the US-based manufacturer of Nuedexta, the only FDA-approved treatment for the neurological disease pseudobulbar affect (PBA). PBA is a neurological disease characterized by sudden and uncontrollable laughing or crying, secondary to a neurological condition such as traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, a stroke, or Alzheimer’s disease

Under the agreement, Otsuka will obtain rights to Nuedexta, as well as AVP-786, a late-stage investigational compound developed to treat agitation associated with Alzheimer’s.

Source: Otsuka

Recent Videos
Behind the Headlines, Episode 20: CAR-T Milestones, Abbvie and Eli Lilly M&A Moves, and More
DC skyline at night with view of the White House and the Washington Monument | Image Credit: © Jessica - stock.adobe.com
Behind the Headlines, Episode 18
Drug Digest: Patient Preference Drives Solid Dosage Trends
Behind the Headlines, Episode 17
Related Content
Silver Spring, MD, USA - June 25, 2022: The FDA White Oak Campus, headquarters of the United States Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Image Credit: © Tada Images - stock.adobe.com

FDA Publishes More Than 200 Complete Response Letters

Christopher Cole
July 11th 2025
Article

FDA says the move boosts regulatory transparency, offering insights into common approval barriers in drug applications and reducing guesswork.

Drug Solutions Podcast: A Closer Look at mRNA in Oncology and Vaccines

Drug Solutions Podcast: A Closer Look at mRNA in Oncology and Vaccines

Feliza Mirasol
April 30th 2024
Podcast

In this episode fo the Drug Solutions Podcast, etherna’s vice-president of Technology and Innovation, Stefaan De Koker, discusses the merits and challenges of using mRNA as the foundation for therapeutics in oncology as well as for vaccines.

Brain Injury, Blood in Injured Brains (stroke, brain hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, arteriovenous malformation, brain aneurysm rupture, traumatic brain injury) | Image Credit: © Arugula Pica - stock.adobe.com

Generative AI-Driven Collaboration to Research Treatments for Brain Hemorrhage Complications

Patrick Lavery
July 9th 2025
Article

Delayed cerebral ischemia is a leading complication in the severe form of stroke known as subarachnoid hemorrhage and can result in long-term neurological damage, disability, or death.

Drug Solutions Podcast: Gliding Through the Ins and Outs of the Pharma Supply Chain

Drug Solutions Podcast: Gliding Through the Ins and Outs of the Pharma Supply Chain

Jill Murphy
November 14th 2023
Podcast

In this episode of the Drug Solutions podcast, Jill Murphy, former editor, speaks with Bourji Mourad, partnership director at ThermoSafe, about the supply chain in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically related to packaging, pharma air freight, and the pressure on suppliers with post-COVID-19 changes on delivery.

low angle view of marble dome of United States Capitol building in Washington DC with blue sky and visible architecture features | Image Credit: © Philip - stock.adobe.com

9 Implications of Trump’s Tax-Cut and Spending Bill for the Bio/Pharmaceutical Industry

Christopher Cole
July 7th 2025
Article

Trump’s tax bill could reshape drug R&D, manufacturing, Medicaid access, clinical trials, and biotech funding, impacting strategy across the bio/pharmaceutical industry.

Document Review and Quality Control Concept. Document with a checkmark, quality assurance, and process control. auditing, compliance, verification, data inspection, and business workflow management. | Image Credit: © Supatman - stock.adobe.com

A Novel, Enhanced, and Sustainable Approach to Audit Trail Review

Diana Russo
July 4th 2025
Article

Eli Lilly and Company developed an innovative and sustainable approach to audit trail review (ATR) aimed at reducing the ATR burden while adhering to regulatory expectations and data integrity (DI) principles. The process has transformed employees' understanding of ATR and complemented the DI by design approach, leading to better system designs that meet expected controls and reduce non-value-added data reviews.