Letermovir

Aicuris’s three antiviral assets complement Asahi Kasei’s therapy portfolio Aicuris revenue expected to reach $500 million by 2030 FDA has granted Priority Review for the pritelivir New Drug Application. Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date is Q4 2026 TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Asahi Kasei, a diversified global company, announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG (Aicuris), a German-based biopharmaceutical company. This closing marks a key step in accelerating the company’s efforts to build a global specialty pharmaceutical platform by expanding further into severe infectious diseases. “The completion of the Aicuris acquisition reflects the deliberate execution of our pharmaceutical strategy and strengthens our position in infectious diseases, a core area where we see sustained demand, high unmet need, and long-term growth,” stated Ken Shinomiya, Head of Asahi Kasei’s Healthcare Sector. “Aicuris adds a differentiated portfolio and scientific capabilities that enhance the quality of our pipeline, while also providing a near-term commercial opportunity. By integrating Aicuris into our global development and commercialization platform, we are further scaling our specialty pharmaceutical business.” Aicuris adds three antiviral assets spanning marketed and clinical-stage development, complementing Asahi Kasei’s existing treatment portfolio. This includes a consistent royalty stream from Prevymis®; a near-term commercial opportunity with pritelivir, for which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Priority Review to the New Drug Application, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date in the fourth quarter of 2026 ; and AIC468 as a longer-term growth driver. These assets address growing market opportunities across transplant and infectious disease environments. Prevymis® generates a growing royalty stream, which includes key milestone payments. Based on current projections, annual royalty revenue is expected to range from $100 million to $200 million over the course of the agreement, depending on sales levels. Pritelivir is anticipated to address approximately 15,000 immunocompromised patients in the U.S. and is projected to achieve meaningful penetration in the second-line setting, potentially approaching 70%, subject to market conditions. Peak revenue from pritelivir is projected to exceed $400 million in the mid- to late 2030s. AIC468, which has completed a Phase I clinical trial, is being developed for BK virus infection in kidney transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, an area of increasing clinical importance with a potential market opportunity estimated at over $1 billion. Together, these assets provide a balanced mix of royalty income, near-term commercial opportunity, and pipeline-driven growth, with Aicuris revenue expected to reach $500 million by 2030, excluding AIC468. This acquisition supports Asahi Kasei’s strategic focus on pharmaceuticals as a priority growth area under its medium-term management plan, reflecting a disciplined approach to capital allocation and portfolio transformation. Asahi Kasei plans to advance Aicuris’s portfolio through its U.S. subsidiary, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an established leader in transplant medicine. Veloxis’s expertise in transplant immunology, paired with its R&D capabilities and established commercial infrastructure, is expected to support pipeline advancement and future commercialization. “We see strong strategic alignment between Veloxis and Aicuris under the Asahi Kasei pharmaceutical strategy,” said Stacy Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of Veloxis. “Aicuris’s infectious disease experience, together with Veloxis’s established transplant-focused research and commercialization capabilities, provides a solid foundation to support development efforts that address areas of unmet need among immunocompromised patients.” Asahi Kasei expects the acquisition to contribute positively to operating income after amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets from fiscal 2028 onward. About Asahi Kasei Asahi Kasei is a diversified global company that contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922, with businesses in ammonia and cellulose fiber, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through proactive portfolio transformation to meet the evolving needs of every age. With 50,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to sustainability by providing solutions to the world’s challenges across its three business sectors: Healthcare, Homes, and Material. For more information, visit . Contacts North America: Asahi Kasei America Inc. Christian OKeefe christian.okeefe@ak-america.com Europe: Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH Sebastian Schmidt sebastian.schmidt@asahi-kasei.eu

Japan-based Asahi Kasei Corporation (TSE: 3407; OTC: AHKSY) has completed its acquisition of Germany-based Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, adding three antiviral assets to its specialty pharmaceutical portfolio. The transaction positions Asahi Kasei to deploy Aicuris’s infectious disease pipeline through its US transplant medicine subsidiary, Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., targeting immunocompromised patient populations where nucleoside analogue resistance represents a persistent clinical gap. Asahi previously reported that the transaction price tag totals around EUR 780 million (USD 919 million). The Japanese firm projects Aicuris-derived revenue will reach USD 500 million by 2030, excluding the BK virus candidate AIC468. The company expects the acquisition to contribute positively to operating income from fiscal year 2028 onward, after amortization of goodwill and intangible assets. The deal conveys global rights across all three assets, with the structural distinction that Prevymis (letermovir) royalty income flows from worldwide sales under a pre-existing exclusive commercialization license held by Merck/MSD. Pritelivir and the helicase-primase inhibitor mechanism The near-term commercial catalyst is pritelivir, a small-molecule HSV helicase-primase inhibitor targeting immunocompromised patients with acyclovir-resistant or treatment-resistant mucocutaneous HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. Unlike nucleoside analogues such as acyclovir and foscarnet, which target viral DNA polymerase, pritelivir inhibits the helicase-primase complex — a distinct enzymatic machinery required for HSV DNA unwinding and primer synthesis — thereby retaining activity in polymerase-mutant resistant strains. The US FDA has granted Priority Review to the pritelivir New Drug Application, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act target date in Q4 2026. Asahi Kasei estimates the addressable US population at approximately 15,000 immunocompromised patients, with projected second-line market penetration approaching 70%, and peak revenue exceeding USD 400 million in the mid- to late 2030s. The portfolio also includes a royalty stream from Prevymis, a cytomegalovirus prophylaxis agent approved in over 60 countries and commercialized globally by Merck/MSD. Annual royalty revenue is projected to range from USD 100 million to USD 200 million depending on sales performance. AIC468, a Phase I candidate for BK virus infection in kidney transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, represents the longer-duration pipeline asset, with an estimated market opportunity exceeding USD 1 billion. Asahi intends to advance Aicuris’s portfolio through Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, whose established transplant immunology infrastructure and US commercial operations provide a direct channel to the renal and haematological transplant settings where pritelivir and AIC468 are indicated. The combination consolidates antiviral infectious disease capabilities within a transplant-focused commercial organization, reducing the build-out costs typically associated with entering a specialty prescriber market from a standing start. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website