AstraZeneca divests non-US rights of Entocort to Tillotts Pharma for $215m

AstraZeneca has completed the divestment of non-US global rights of its gastroenterology drug Entocort to Tillotts Pharma (Tillotts), part of the Zeria Group, for $215m.

Entocort (budesonide) is indicated for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Currently, the drug is approved for use in more than 40 countries, with total product sales of $53m outside the US in 2014.

With the completion of the agreement, Tillotts now has the rights to sell and develop Entocort capsules and enema formulations outside the US.

The completed transaction does not include the transfer of any AstraZeneca employees or facilities.

The deal strengthens AstraZeneca’s strategic focus on three main therapy areas.

In capsule formulation, Entocort is a first-line therapy used for the induction and maintenance of clinical remission of mild to moderate active Crohn’s disease involving the ileum and/or the ascending colon.

As an enema, the drug is used for the induction and maintenance of clinical remission of distal ulcerative colitis in the rectum, sigmoid colon and descending colon.

In the US, AstraZeneca has a partnership with Par Pharmaceutical for the commercialisation of Entocort.

Image: AstraZeneca headquarters in London, UK. Photo: courtesy of AstraZeneca plc.