Vamorolone

Angelini Pharma is set to acquire rare disease-focused Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for approximately $4.1 billion (€3.5 billion) — marking the Italian pharma's first foray into the US commercial market.The deal announced Thursday will see Angelini buying all outstanding shares of Catalyst at $31.50 apiece, representing a 21% premium over the latter's closing share price on Apr. 22.The acquisition provides a significant boost to Angelini portfolio, by gaining Catalyst's three FDA-approved therapies — Firdapse (amifampridine) for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, Agamree (vamorolone) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Fycompa (perampanel) for epilepsy, whose US rights were acquired from Eisai in 2023.The transaction will help "establish Angelini…as a relevant global player in neurological rare diseases," said Sergio Marullo di Condojanni, chief executive of Angelini. "Entering the US market will allow us to acquire the scale and capabilities needed to continue this journey."Angelini Pharma intends to integrate Catalyst's commercial infrastructure with its own European portfolio — which includes the epilepsy treatment Ontozry (cenobamate) — to develop what it describes as a next-generation therapeutic platform in rare diseases.More to follow…

Italy-based Angelini Pharma S.p.A. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: CPRX) for USD 31.50 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of approximately USD 4.1 billion (EUR 3.5 billion). The transaction marks Angelini Pharma’s entry into the US market and is structured to consolidate its rare neurological and neuromuscular disease portfolio alongside an established US commercial infrastructure. Under the deal terms, an Angelini subsidiary will merge with and into Catalyst, with Catalyst surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary post-close. The USD 31.50 per share price represents a 28% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average trading price to that date. Angelini expects to finance the acquisition through a combination of cash and debt, with BNP Paribas acting as Sole Global Coordinator and Underwriter of the financing package. Blackstone funds and select international partners are participating in the transaction. Closing is expected in Q3 2026, subject to Catalyst stockholder approval, required regulatory clearances, and other customary conditions. Catalyst’s disclosed portfolio centers on three FDA-approved products targeting rare neuromuscular and neurological indications. Firdapse (amifampridine), a voltage-gated potassium channel blocker, holds FDA approval as the only evidence-based treatment for Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in patients aged six and above. Agamree (vamorolone), a dissociative corticosteroid with a modified steroid backbone designed to reduce glucocorticoid-associated side effects, received FDA approval in 2023 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in patients aged two and above, with Catalyst holding North American rights. Fycompa (perampanel), an AMPA receptor antagonist approved for partial-onset seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, rounds out the portfolio through US rights acquired from Eisai. The geographic scope of the transaction is therefore primarily US-centric, with North American rights to Agamree representing the broadest territorial coverage of any single acquired asset. In a comparable transaction, UCB acquired Zogenix for approximately USD 1.9 billion in 2022, deploying a structurally similar rationale — a European CNS-focused acquirer absorbing a US-listed commercial-stage rare disease company with an FDA-approved rare neurological therapy to gain US scale. The Angelini Pharma acquisition of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals operates on a larger financial basis and broader product scope, but shares the same cross-Atlantic strategic logic of using a US commercial footprint as the primary value driver alongside the approved asset portfolio itself. Separately, Catalyst announced the resolution of patent litigation brought in response to an Abbreviated New Drug Application filed on behalf of Hetero USA, Inc. seeking approval to market a generic version of Firdapse prior to expiration of applicable patents. Catalyst and its licensor SERB S.A. entered into a settlement agreement with Hetero, terminating all ongoing patent litigation pending in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. The confidential settlement agreement will be submitted to the US Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice for review as required by law. This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by the AllSci editorial team Explore more at AllSci News: https://allsci.com/news/ Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Privacy Terms About Us Copyright © 2026. AllSci Corp. All rights reserved.