Actavis subsidiary Forest Laboratories has completed the acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals, a US-based drug development collaboration company.

Forest Laboratories has acquired Furiex in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.1bn and up to approximately $360m in a contingent value right that may be payable based on the status of Furiex’s eluxadoline as a controlled drug following approval.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Eluxadoline is a locally acting mu opioid receptor agonist and delta opioid receptor antagonist for treating symptoms of diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

"Eluxadoline could represent a significant advance in the treatment of IBS-D."

In connection with the completion of the Furiex acquisition, Actavis has also divested Furiex’s royalties on alogliptin and Priligy to Royalty Pharma for a payment of approximately $415m.

Actavis president and CEO Brent Saunders said: "If approved, eluxadoline could represent a significant advance in the treatment of IBS-D, and would give Actavis one of the broadest product offerings for the $38bn GI disease market.

"This product, if successful, would make Actavis even more relevant to gastroenterologists and primary care physicians in meeting significant patient needs."

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Actavis said that it expects to be in a position to announce an acceptance for filing of the new drug application for eluxadoline by the end of the third quarter of 2014.

Kirkland & Ellis and Wyrick Robbins have advised Furiex in this transaction, while BofA Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse acted as financial advisors. Covington & Burling served as Forest Laboratories’ legal counsel.

Pharmaceutical Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Pharmaceutical Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Imagene’s Oncology Intelligence (OI) Suite has won the Innovation Award for Precision Oncology, for transforming how pharma designs and runs oncology trials. From AI-driven biomarker discovery to smarter patient stratification, see how Imagene is cutting time, cost and risk in cancer drug development.

Discover the Impact