Allergan has acquired Chase Pharmaceuticals for $125 million in upfront payment, in addition to regulatory and sales milestone payments. Included in the milestones are performance goals for CPC-201, a compound used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This acquisition adds a new Phase III-ready program for Alzheimer's disease to our central nervous system (CNS) portfolio and builds on our commitment to develop innovative approaches to improve the lives of millions of patients suffering from this devastating illness,” said David Nicholson, chief R&D officer, Allergan.

CPC-­201 is a combination of donepezil (a commonly prescribed acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) and solifenacin (a peripherally acting cholinergic blocker). In Phase II trials, 88% of patients reached the maximum dose allowed of donepezil without experiencing dose-limiting adverse events. Chase’s lead compound offers the possibility of greater and more tolerable dosing and may provide the potential for significantly improved cognition and function in Alzheimer's disease patients.

“I am very excited that Allergan has recognized the strong clinical value of our development programs and look forward to seeing Allergan apply its leading clinical development and regulatory expertise to bring these potential treatments forward for patients,” said Douglas Ingram, CEO and president, Chase.

Based on FDA feedback from an end-of-Phase-II meeting with Chase, Allergan intends to advance CPC-201 into a single Phase III registration study in 2017.

“We believe our lead candidate CPC-201 will offer a significant improvement over existing therapy in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease and will benefit all those suffering from this disease,” said Thomas Chase, co-founder and CSO, Chase.

Just last month, Allergan acquired Motus Therapeutics, its third acquisition in 3 months, to expand its gastrointestinal disease portfolio. As with Chase, Motus had just completed a Phase IIa trial of relamorelin (a ghrelin agonist being developed for diabetic gastroparesis). Allergan agreed to pay $200 million, plus a sales milestone payment, to acquire Motus.

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