Takeda and Amgen announce collaboration

Takeda Pharmaceutical and Amgen have signed an exclusive collaboration agreement to work together on up to 13 clinical candidates from Amgen.

Under the terms of the deal, Amgen will receive $200 million (100 million pounds) as an upfront payment, with Takeda to also pay Amgen up to $340 million for worldwide development costs and $362 million in milestone payments linked to the success of these programmes.

Furthermore, Takeda will purchase all the shares of Amgen KK, Amgen’s subsidiary in Japan, with this share transaction forecast to close in the first quarter of 2008.

The deal includes 12 molecules from Amgen’s pipeline with an option on one more and covers candidates in early to mid-stage clinical development in a range of therapeutic areas, including pain, inflammation and oncology.

Yasuchika Hasegawa, president of Takeda, said: “We are excited about the agreements with Amgen and also to welcome Amgen KK into Takeda Group.

“The target indications of the molecules we licensed from Amgen, such as cancer and bone/joint diseases, are in our core therapeutic areas.”

He added that the deal will enhance the company’s research and development pipeline and it anticipates offering patients and physicians new treatment options as soon as possible.

In April 2007, Takeda said that it was not in negotiations with Abbott Laboratories regarding a potential buyout of its stake in their joint US venture TAP Pharmaceutical Products.