Allergan Acquires Akarna

Allergan plc announced that the Company has acquired Akarna Therapeutics Ltd. for an up-front payment of $50 million, subject to certain adjustments, as well as potential clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments related to its lead development compound, AKN-083. In addition to AKN-083, the acquisition also includes a portfolio of additional development-stage FXR compounds.

"The acquisition of Akarna adds to our strategic approach to investing in innovation to advance the treatment of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) for millions of patients who currently do not have therapeutic options to treat the disease," said Brent Saunders, CEO and President of Allergan. "We look forward to advancing this unique compound into later stages of development, and to advancing our overall portfolio of NASH programs, as we focus on bringing forward effective treatments for this critical disease area."  

"We are excited to be working with Allergan, a company that shares our vision to develop the best possible treatments for NASH," said Raju Mohan, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Akarna Therapeutics. "Allergan shares our commitment to help patients with NASH live longer, healthier lives."