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Teva\u2019s VP of business development, Evan Lippman talks Pharmaceutical Technology through Teva\u2019s dealmaking and future growth strategy. Credit: Jonathan Weiss \/ Shutterstock.com.<\/p>\n
Teva Pharmaceuticals will acquire neuroscience specialist, Emalex \u2013 a move which Teva executive, Evan Lippman, says effectively complements the company\u2019s wider \u201cpivot to growth\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n
Through this agreement, which will set Teva back $700m upfront and up to $200m in potential milestones, the biopharma company will absorb Emalex\u2019s neurology-focused pipeline. This includes ecopipam<\/a>, Emalex\u2019s first-in-class therapy for paediatric Tourette\u2019s syndrome, which has already secured a Phase III win<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tCombine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n With this positive data in hand, Emalex is looking to file for ecopipam\u2019s approval in the US during the second half of 2026 \u2013 meaning it could reach the market by \u201cearly next year\u201d, Teva\u2019s 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\u2019s market<\/a> in over a decade \u2013 succeeding Otsuka and Lundbeck\u2019s second-generation antipsychotic, Abilify (aripiprazole).<\/p>\n Differentiating in the Tourette\u2019s market<\/p>\n Unlike Abilify and other US-approved paediatric Tourette\u2019s medicines on the market, which target the dopamine 2 (D2) receptor, ecopipam targets D1 \u2013 a mechanism that Lippman says could present a more attractive option to patients due to its potentially improved efficacy, tolerability and safety profile.<\/p>\n \u201cEcopipam is a late-stage asset that fits right within our core interest in neuroscience,\u201d Lippman says. \u201cMore broadly, it\u2019s 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,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n 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 \u201climitations\u201d.<\/p>\n In a research note, Jefferies analysts said that, once approved, ecopipam \u201cshould boost Teva\u2019s margin profile and could reach $1bn in US peak sales, assuming 2035 loss of exclusivity\u201d. They add that the drug will likely be positioned in the refractory setting post-antipsychotics, where Teva holds \u201cmore pricing power\u201d.<\/p>\n Teva hunkers down on growth strategy<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.pharmaceutical-technology.com\/wp-content\/themes\/goodlife-wp-B2B\/assets\/img\/globaldata_marketing_solutions_logo.svg\"){kind=logo}
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