Teva Pharmaceuticals will acquire neuroscience specialist, Emalex – a move which Teva executive, Evan Lippman, says effectively complements the company’s wider “pivot to growth” strategy.
Through this agreement, which will set Teva back $700m upfront and up to $200m in potential milestones, the biopharma company will absorb Emalex’s neurology-focused pipeline. This includes ecopipam, Emalex’s first-in-class therapy for paediatric Tourette’s syndrome, which has already secured a Phase III win.
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With this positive data in hand, Emalex is looking to file for ecopipam’s approval in the US during the second half of 2026 – meaning it could reach the market by “early next year”, Teva’s executive VP of business development, Evan Lippman, tells Pharmaceutical Technology. If it were to secure the US regulatory greenlight, it would become the first new addition to the Tourette’s market in over a decade – succeeding Otsuka and Lundbeck’s second-generation antipsychotic, Abilify (aripiprazole).
Differentiating in the Tourette’s market
Unlike Abilify and other US-approved paediatric Tourette’s medicines on the market, which target the dopamine 2 (D2) receptor, ecopipam targets D1 – a mechanism that Lippman says could present a more attractive option to patients due to its potentially improved efficacy, tolerability and safety profile.
“Ecopipam is a late-stage asset that fits right within our core interest in neuroscience,” Lippman says. “More broadly, it’s a differentiated asset with an orphan drug designation in an area of high unmet need. We felt this [Emalex acquisition] was an excellent fit, given our expertise in the commercial, development and regulatory setting,” he adds.
The drug could also fill unmet needs within the paediatric patient population, as Lippman notes that only around 30% of drug-treated patients remain on therapy due to “limitations”.
In a research note, Jefferies analysts said that, once approved, ecopipam “should boost Teva’s margin profile and could reach $1bn in US peak sales, assuming 2035 loss of exclusivity”. They add that the drug will likely be positioned in the refractory setting post-antipsychotics, where Teva holds “more pricing power”.
Teva hunkers down on growth strategy
Teva’s acquisition comes amid the burgeoning success of its innovative medicines portfolio, which demonstrated year-on-year growth of 41% in Q1 2026. According to Lippman, this allows Teva to be strategic and calculated with its dealmaking as the company seeks out pipeline and portfolio-building opportunities.
“We do not have an upcoming patent cliff or a burning platform need. So, when we’re looking at acquisitions, we intend to be very thoughtful and precise,” he comments.
When on the hunt for new assets, Lippman notes that Teva is primarily seeking late-stage, de-risked and differentiated assets across its two core focus areas of neurology and inflammation – including therapies for rare indications within these categories.
While the New Jersey-based pharma will stick with this approach for now, Lippman did add that Teva will look at earlier opportunities in the future.
