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Coherus BioSciences, Inc. (Coherus), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced it has entered into an agreement to divest its Cimerli (ranibizumab-eqrn) ophthalmology franchise, inclusive of Cimerli and its supporting commercial infrastructure, to Sandoz for upfront, all-cash consideration of $170 million plus an additional amount for Cimerli product inventory and subject to customary working capital adjustments at the closing date. This divestiture includes Coherus’ Cimerli biologics license application, ophthalmology sales and select field reimbursement teams, Cimerli product inventory on hand, and access to proprietary commercial software.
“Since entering the ophthalmology market in 2022, we have gained strong market share and created significant value in a non-core therapeutic area by leveraging our buy-and-bill commercial expertise. We believe it is prudent to now monetize these non-core assets to pay down debt, reduce interest costs, and take the opportunity to focus on our core therapeutic area, oncology,” said Denny Lanfear, chairman and chief executive officer of Coherus. “Additionally, this divestiture will allow us to reduce our headcount and overhead costs, enhancing our sustainable and growing oncology business.”
Coherus’ oncology assets include the Udenyca (pegfilgrastim-cbqv) franchise, with three FDA-approved presentations; Loqtorzi (toripalimab-tpzi), an FDA-approved, next-generation PD-1 inhibitor; and an immuno-oncology pipeline of next-generation tumour microenvironment oncology drug candidates.
Closing is anticipated in the first half of 2024, subject to certain closing conditions and approvals, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
JP Morgan Securities LLC is acting as the company’s financial advisor, and Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to Coherus in connection with the transaction.
Coherus is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative immunotherapies to treat cancer.
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