AstraZeneca and Ardea Biosciences have entered into a definitive merger agreement, under which AstraZeneca will acquire Ardea for $1.26bn including a product lesinurad in Phase III development for gout.
As per the agreement, AstraZeneca will take over Ardea for $32 per share, also adding RDEA3170, a next-generation selective URAT1 inhibitor currently in Phase I development, to its pipeline.
AstraZeneca expects to file new drug application in the US and a marketing authorisation application in the EU for Lesinurad in the first half of 2014 and also plans to develop and commercialize the product in China and Japan.
AstraZeneca chief executive officer David Brennan said, "The Ardea team has done a great job developing lesinurad along with a promising next-generation gout program. These compounds have real potential to benefit patients."
