Sentynl Acquires Eiger’s Progeria Drug Zokinvy

Rare Daily Staff

Sentynl Therapeutics, a subsidiary of India-based Zydus, has acquired Eiger Biopharmaceuticals’ Zokinvy for $45.2 million.

Zokinvy is the first and only treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to target the cause and symptoms of progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and processing-deficient progeroid laminopathies (PDPL), in young people 12 months of age and older. Collectively known as progeria, HGPS and PDPL are ultra-rare, fatal, genetic premature aging diseases that accelerate mortality in young patients. Following its U.S. approval in 2020, Zokinvy secured approval in the European Union and Great Britain in 2022 and in Japan at the beginning of 2024.

“This acquisition marks an important milestone in growing our portfolio of medicines for rare and orphan diseases, which can have devastating consequences if left untreated,” said Sharvil Patel, managing director of Zydus Lifesciences.

Eiger and its direct subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 bankrupty. On April 17, 2024, following the completion of the auction held as part of the Eiger’s court-supervised sale process, Sentynl was designated the winning bidder with a final bid during the auction of a base price in the amount of $46.1 million less a credit in the amount of $0.9 million for the termination fee resulting in a net base price in the amount of $45.2 million. Under the terms of the acquisition, Sentynl acquired global rights to Zokinvy and will be responsible for its manufacture and commercialization.

Zokinvy is a first-in-class disease-modifying agent that blocks the accumulation of defective progerin and progerin-like proteins which leads to cellular instability and premature aging in children and young adults with progeria.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions were gastrointestinal (vomiting, diarrhea, nausea), and most were mild or moderate (Grade 1 or 2) in severity. Many progeria patients have received continuous Zokinvy therapy for more than 10 years.

Zokinvy is FDA approved for the treatment of patients 12 months of age and older with a genetically confirmed diagnosis of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome or a processing-deficient progeroid laminopathy associated with either a heterozygous LMNA mutation with progerin-like protein accumulation or a homozygous or compound heterozygous ZMPSTE24 mutation.

Eiger licensed exclusive worldwide rights to lonafarnib for the treatment of H-G progeria from Merck, which provided lonafarnib free of charge for clinical studies supported by the Progeria Research Foundation and waived royalty and milestone obligations on lonafarnib from Sentynl for people living with the condition.

Photo: Sharvil Patel, managing director of Zydus Lifesciences