Dive Brief:
- After acquiring NJ-based NPS Pharma last month for $5.2 billion, Shire, which is based in Ireland, is forecasting growth lower than 10%—but at least in the 5% to 9% range.
- Shire specializes in rare disease drugs, and is also the maker of the ADHD drug, Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine).
- On January 23, the FDA approved NPS's Naptara (rhPTH[1-84]) for the treatment of low calcium due to hypoparathyroidism.
Dive Insight:
For Shire, every day that passes puts them further away from the scuttled $54 billion proposed merger with AbbVie, which fell apart last October. Now, as the company looks towards the future, there is good news, including a new binge-eating indication for Vyvanse, which could bring in an additional $300 million in revenues this year.
In addition to the sales that come with the NPS acquisition, Shire also has a ripe pipeline, which the company expects will yield an additional $3 billion in revenues by 2020—bringing total revenues to the $10 billion mark.
Shire is reportedly also eyeing a bid to acquire Salix Pharmaceuticals on the heels of the NPS deal. But they'll have to duke it out with Valeant, which has already secured advanced financing for a Salix bid.