Allergan Acquires Chase Pharmaceuticals to Expand CNS R&D Pipeline and Build on Commitment to Alzheimer's Disease

DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a leading global pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Chase Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of improved treatments for neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Allergan acquired Chase for an upfront payment of $125 million (subject to certain adjustments) and additional potential regulatory and sales milestone payments related to Chase's lead compound, CPC-201, and certain backup compounds.

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"Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that represents a major and growing global public health problem,  for which very few approved treatment options are available, and the societal cost is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars, so the need for improved treatment choices is paramount," said David Nicholson, Chief Research & Development Officer, Allergan. "This acquisition adds a new Phase 3 ready program for Alzheimer's disease to our CNS portfolio and builds on our commitment to develop innovative approaches to improve the lives of millions of patients suffering from this devastating illness."

Chase's lead compound, CPC-­201, is a patent-protected combination of the most commonly prescribed acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI), donepezil, and the peripherally acting cholinergic blocker, solifenacin. AChEIs have been shown to improve cognition in Alzheimer's disease patients.  Currently approved AChEIs are only modestly effective due to dose-limiting side effects, including diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

In Phase 2 clinical trials, 29 out of 33 patients (88%) reached 40 mg/day of donepezil (maximum dose allowed), without experiencing dose-limiting adverse events. This median donepezil dose did not change significantly during three months of maintenance treatment. Chase's next-generation formulations offer the possibility of greater and more tolerable dosing, and may provide the potential for significantly improved cognition and function in Alzheimer's disease patients.  

Chase Pharmaceuticals recently completed an End of Phase 2 meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Based on feedback from the FDA, Allergan intends to advance CPC-201 into a single Phase 3 registration study in 2017.

"We at Chase Pharmaceuticals are passionate about developing and bringing to physicians and their patients profoundly improved Alzheimer's disease treatments.  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, Chief Executive Officer and President, Chase Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

"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 Chief Scientific Officer of Chase Pharmaceuticals. 

"When determining appropriate treatment for my patients with Alzheimer's, I am looking for treatments that provide a beneficial effect with the lowest possible side effect profile," said Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, ScD, Director of the Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair of the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic and a former consultant for Chase Pharmaceuticals. "The potential to provide improved cognition without the dose-limiting side effects of currently available AChEIs would be a welcome advance for medical professionals, their patients and caregivers who seek better approaches to manage the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease."

About Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease and other CNS Diseases¹

Today there is significant unmet medical need and heavy economic burden across multiple diseases characterized by cognitive impairment and dementia. Healthcare costs associated with AD and dementia (estimated at over $640 billion for North America, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific) including nursing home care, continue to grow dramatically and new therapies with better and more durable efficacy are urgently needed. It is estimated that more than 45 million people worldwide have dementia (4.8 million in North America, 7.5 million in Western Europe, 3.6 million in Asia-Pacific) and this is expected to increase to more than 130 million in 2050. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. In addition, an estimated 1.4 million patients in the US suffer from Lewy body dementia.

¹Sources: World Health Organization, Alzheimer's Disease International, National Institute of Mental Health, Lewy Body Dementia Association.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model – Growth Pharma.  Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceuticals, devices and biologic products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, the Company's R&D model, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. This approach has led to Allergan building one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry with 70+ mid-to-late stage pipeline programs in development.

Our Company's success is powered by our more than 15,000 global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what it is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

About Chase Pharmaceuticals

Chase Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of improved treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Chase's development program, if successful, will profoundly improve the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The company was co-founded by Thomas Chase, MD, the former Scientific Director and head of the Experimental Therapeutics Branch for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Kathleen Clarence-Smith, MD, PhD, the former head of CNS development at each of Sanofi, Hoffmann-La Roche and Otsuka. Chase is led by its chief executive officer and president, Douglas Ingram, formerly the president of Allergan, Inc. Chase's Board is headed by its Chair, Greg Parekh, founding partner of New Rhein Healthcare Investors, LLC, and formerly worldwide head of M&A at Novartis.

Chase has closed over $24 million in funding, with approximately $22 million through a Series B financing led by New Rhein Healthcare Investors, LLC and including, among others, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Cipla Ventures and Brain Trust Accelerator Fund. 

Chase was represented in this transaction by the law firm Hogan Lovells and advised by investment bank Cowen and Company. 

Allergan Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 (such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:       
ALLERGAN:
Investors:
Lisa DeFrancesco
(862) 261-7152

Media:
Mark Marmur
(862) 261-7558    

SOURCE Allergan plc

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