Shire to acquire Dyax, and its assets in hereditary angioedema, for $5.9 billion

Shire plc and Dyax Corporation announced that Shire will acquire Dyax for approximately $5.9 billion. Dyax is a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company primarily focused on the development of plasma kallikrein (pKal) inhibitors for the treatment of HAE, a debilitating and sometimes life-threatening rare genetic disease. Dyax has already successfully developed and commercialised Kalbitor (ecallantide), which is approved in the USA for acute HAE treatment in patients 12 years of age and older, and represented an early innovation in HAE treatment. Dyax’s most advanced clinical programme is DX-2930, a fully humanised monoclonal antibody targeting pKal with proof-of-concept Phase 1B efficacy data. These data demonstrate a >90% reduction in HAE attacks compared to placebo in the 300 mg and 400 mg arms in patients with more than two attacks in the 3 months prior to study entry. DX-2930 has received Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy, and Orphan Drug designations by the FDA and has also received Orphan Drug status in the EU. It is expected to enter Phase III clinical trials by the end of 2015. If approved for the prevention of Type 1 and Type 2 HAE, DX-2930 could generate estimated annual global sales of up to $2 billion.