AUGUST 17, 2020 / 1:00PM, SASY.PA - Sanofi SA To Acquire Principia Biopharma Inc - M&A Call
As you can tell, we are focused on the execution of the 4 Phase III studies that are currently underway for MS. We’ve not yet begun to systematically evaluate the next indication opportunities for ‘168, but the mechanism of action may have a role in several central nervous system as well as peripheral nervous system, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Also important to note is that until today, we were unable to explore ‘168 in indications outside of CNS due to the structure of the former collaboration agreement.
Slide 13, please. Turning to the next slide, Slide 13. I would like to provide a bit more detail on the development plan for rilzabrutinib. For rilzabrutinib, currently, a Phase III trial is ongoing in patients with moderate to severe pemphigus, a group of debilitating autoimmune skin blistering diseases. This complements nicely Sanofi’s commitment to dermatology.
The team is intending to start a Phase III also in ITP, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, an autoimmune disease condition caused by the binding of autoantibodies to platelets and characterized clinically by bruising, fatigue and severe bleeding, including the potential for life-threatening intracranial bleeds due to destruction of platelets. This complements nicely Sanofi’s commitment to hematology and rare blood disorders.
We believe that rilzabrutinib is well suited to address the most common underlying cause of ITP, namely the pathogenic autoantibodies that destroy platelets and lead to better long-term outcomes in ITP. Importantly, in an ex vivo study utilizing blood from ITP patients and healthy volunteers, rilzabrutinib did not impair platelet aggregation, thereby promising to avoid the bleeding and bruising typically associated with other BTK inhibitors.
In addition, a Phase II study for IgG4-related diseases will begin later this year. IgG4-related diseases are a group of relapsing-remitting diseases where inflammation involves the B cells as well as eosinophils, macrophages and other cells. And what happens to these patients is that this chronic smoldering inflammation impacts several organs including liver, pancreas, kidneys. Over time, these organs become fibrotic with impaired function, including, in many cases, end-stage renal disease. No drugs are currently approved for this indication.
Rilzabrutinib’s mechanism of action and attractive safety profile to date could lend itself well to additional indications. We are currently evaluating several potential additional indications in the immunology and inflammation area. We are convinced that this molecule has blockbuster potential due to its potential use across many indications. These include most diseases where pathological IgE antibodies are involved.
On my concluding slide, Slide 14, we highlight how excited we are at Sanofi by the depth of the Principia pipeline. In addition to ‘168 and rilzabrutinib, earlier programs include Principia 473, a BTK inhibitor that is administered as a topical agent, currently in Phase I development for certain types of skin diseases.
In preclinical research, the Principia team is exploring an oral selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, which is designed to alter undesired immune responses through effects on antigen presentation and hence, T-cell activation. If successful, these oral small molecule immunoproteasome inhibitors may be able to treat several immune-mediated diseases while avoiding the toxicities of current commercially available nonselective proteasome inhibitors that impair both immunoproteasomes and the constitutive proteasomes that are needed for cellular housekeeping functions related to senescent protein degradation.
Principia’s robust pipeline of innovative therapies originated from their proprietary Tailored Covalency platform. The platform inspires the design of both reversible covalent and irreversible covalent small molecule inhibitors that are more selective with less off-target effects. The optimized target residency time has potential to deliver the desired efficacy but with a better safety profile. We intend for this platform to continue to generate next-generation, potentially best-in-class clinical candidates.
On that note, I would like to hand over to Jean-Baptiste to wrap up with a summary of the financials. Jean-Baptiste?
Jean-Baptiste Chasseloup de Chatillon - Sanofi - Executive VP & CFO
Well, thank you, John. Let me briefly outline the key financial highlights of this transaction. Well, Sanofi has agreed to pay Principia shareholders, $100 per share in cash, which results in a fully diluted valuation of approximately $3.68 billion. In terms of the financials, we expect the acquisition to be broadly neutral to business EPS in 2020 and 2021, including R&D expenses. In other words, we are not changing our existing projections as a result of this acquisition.
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