The European Commission (EC) has cleared AstraZeneca’s proposed acquisition of rare disease specialist Alexion, initially announced in December 2020.
Last year, AZ revealed its plans to acquire Alexion for approximately $39bn, in a bid to establish a specialist rare disease pipeline in the process.
Alexion’s portfolio of rare disease meds includes Soliris (eculizumab), a first-in-class anti-complement component 5 (C5) monoclonal antibody and Ultomiris (ravulizumab), a second-generation C5 monoclonal antibody.
In a statement, AZ said the EC clearance marks an ‘important step’ towards the completion of the proposed acquisition.
The proposed acquisition has already received complete clearances from regulatory authorities in the US, Japan and other countries globally. However, clearance in the UK is still pending and remains a requirement to complete the deal.
“We are pleased to have secured clearance from the European Commission for the proposed acquisition of Alexion, a pioneer in the discovery and development of medicines for rare diseases,” said Marc Dunoyer, executive director and chief financial officer of AZ.
“We are now another step closer to closing the acquisition and combining the two companies to create a leader in immunology and precision medicines. We continue to progress towards the completion of the acquisition during this quarter,” he added.
Depending on if the acquisition is completed, a group focused solely on rare disease will be created, gaining the name ‘Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease’ with headquarters in Boston, US.
