Amgen to acquire privately held KAI Pharmaceuticals

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) and KAI Pharmaceuticals today announced an agreement under which Amgen will acquire KAI, a privately held pharmaceutical company based in South San Francisco. KAI’s lead product candidate, KAI-4169, is a novel agent being initially studied for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are on dialysis. SHPT, a component of CKD mineral and bone disorder (MBD), is a common and serious complication for patients with CKD who are on dialysis. Through this acquisition, Amgen will acquire worldwide rights, excluding Japan, to KAI-4169.

Under terms of the agreement, Amgen will pay $315 million in cash to acquire KAI. In connection with the parties’ entering into the agreement, Amgen has provided a loan to enable Phase 3 clinical development planning for KAI-4169 prior to closing. The transaction has been approved by the stockholders of KAI and approved by the Board of Directors of each company. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Following the completion of the transaction, KAI will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor and Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor to KAI on the transaction. Amgen was advised by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.

KAI-4169 is an innovative experimental therapy that is administered intravenously at the same time the patient is undergoing dialysis. The vast majority of CKD patients on dialysis are affected by SHPT, a component of CKD-MBD, which can lead to serious consequences.

“KAI has demonstrated encouraging results in the clinic. We are excited about acquiring KAI, as well as the opportunity to potentially deliver a novel therapy for chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis suffering from secondary hyperparathyroidism,” said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen.

“KAI and the nephrology community are excited by the additional clinical data we’ve generated for KAI-4169, and we are thrilled that Amgen shares our perspective on the differentiated profile and potential of this product candidate,” said Steve James, president and chief executive officer of KAI. “Amgen is ideally positioned to bring KAI-4169 to market and to patients, given the company’s decades of experience in developing and delivering therapies for patients with chronic kidney disease.”