THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and SEATTLE, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Rodeo Therapeutics Corporation (Rodeo) today announced an agreement under which Amgen will acquire Rodeo, a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Seattle that develops small-molecule therapies designed to promote regeneration and repair of multiple tissues. Rodeo's 15-PGDH program is a strong strategic fit with Amgen's inflammation portfolio and efforts to develop first-in-class therapeutics for patients.
Under terms of the agreement, Amgen will acquire all outstanding shares of Rodeo in exchange for a $55 million upfront payment as well as future contingent milestone payments potentially worth up to an additional $666 million in cash. The transaction has been approved by the shareholders and the Board of Directors of Rodeo.
Rodeo is focused on developing first-in-class, orally available modulators of prostaglandin biology that play an important role in tissue regeneration and repair. Rodeo's lead 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) modulators have generated compelling data in extensive preclinical studies and have clinical potential in multiple indications.
"The enzyme 15-PGDH plays a key role in many disease-relevant processes such as stem cell self-renewal and epithelial barrier repair. Given the encouraging preclinical data to date, we are excited about the opportunity to develop a novel therapy with potential in a range of important inflammatory disease indications," said Raymond Deshaies, Ph.D., senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen.
Thong Q. Le, president and chief executive officer of Rodeo commented, "We are thrilled that Amgen recognizes the potential value and differentiated profile of our 15-PGDH inhibitor program. With decades of experience in developing, manufacturing and commercializing innovative therapies for patients suffering from a broad range of immunologic diseases and conditions, Amgen is ideally positioned to rapidly advance our program into the clinic."
Cooley LLP acted as legal advisor to Rodeo and Gunderson Dettmer LLP acted as legal advisor to Amgen on this transaction.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About Rodeo Therapeutics
Rodeo Therapeutics (Rodeo) was founded in July 2017 by Accelerator Life Science Partners (ALSP), a venture capital firm that catalyzes the creation of high-quality, cutting edge life science companies. Rodeo focuses on developing small-molecule therapies that increase tissue levels of prostaglandin PGE2. Preclinical studies have shown that increasing PGE2 through modulation of a prostaglandin-degrading enzyme (15-PGDH) protects against colitis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), accelerates hematopoietic stem cell reconstitution following bone marrow transplant, and promotes liver regeneration in a variety of animal models. Since its founding, Rodeo has been exclusively managed by ALSP, validating the firm's ability to identify, nurture, and efficiently manage ground-breaking start-up companies that address unmet medical needs and advance patient care and outcomes. For more information, please visit: www.rodeotherapeutics.com and www.acceleratorlsp.com.
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CONTACT:
Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Megan Fox, 805-447-1423 (media)
Trish Rowland, 805-447-5631 (media)
Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060 (investors)
Rodeo Therapeutics Corporation, Seattle, Washington
Jessica Burback, 206-234-6481, jburback@acceleratorlsp.com (media and investors)
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