Dive Brief:
- Dezima Pharma, which is located in the Netherlands, develops treatments for dyslipidemia.
- Dezima was founded three years ago and is headquartered in Naarden.
- The deal is structured so that Amgen will pay Dezima $300 million upfront and $1.25 billion in development- and sales-related milestones.
Dive Insight:
Acquisition of Dezima is turning Amgen into a company with a diversified dyslipidemia franchise. Dezima's lead drug, DEZ-001, is a cholesteryl ester transfer protein that lowers LDL-C. In fact, its cholesterol-lowering capabilities rival that of Amgen's PCSK-9 inhibitor, Repatha (evolocumab). In a phase 2b study, 5 mg of DEZ-001 lowered LDL-C by 45% and increased HDL-C by 161%. And when researchers increased the dosage to 10 mg and added a statin, LDL-C was reduced by an additional 48%.
Most important, all of the patients on the combination regimen achieved the LD-C target of <1.8 mmol/L, which is a very stringent standard, compared with 2.6 mmol/L, a commonly used endpoint in clinical trials.