Sun Pharma to Acquire Concert Pharmaceuticals, Advancing the Potential Treatment of Alopecia Areata

Sun Pharma and Concert Pharmaceuticals today announced that they have executed a definitive agreement under which Sun Pharma will acquire all outstanding shares of Concert through a tender offer for an upfront payment of $8.00 per share of common stock in cash, or $576 million in equity value. The transaction was approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.

Concert is a late-stage biotechnology company pioneering the use of deuterium in medicinal chemistry. Concert has an extensive patent portfolio, including its lead product candidate deuruxolitinib – an oral inhibitor of Janus kinases JAK1 and JAK2 for the treatment of Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune dermatological disease – which is in late-stage development. Concert has completed the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of deuruxolitinib in adult patients with moderate to severe Alopecia Areata in its THRIVE-AA Phase 3 clinical program and two open label, long-term extension studies are ongoing in North America and Europe. Sun Pharma’s immediate focus would be to follow Concert’s plan to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the first half of 2023.

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in partial or complete loss of hair on the scalp and body. Alopecia Areata may affect up to 2.5% of the United States and global population during their lifetime1,2,3. The scalp is the most commonly affected area, but any hair-bearing site can be affected alone or together with the scalp. Onset of the disease can occur throughout life and affects both women and men. Alopecia Areata can be associated with serious psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression. There are currently limited treatment options available for Alopecia Areata.

“Sun Pharma is building a global Dermatology and Ophthalmology franchise and aims to be a preferred development and commercial partner in these therapies worldwide. The acquisition of Concert adds a late-stage, potential best-in-class treatment for Alopecia Areata in deuruxolitinib,” said Abhay Gandhi, CEO North America, Sun Pharma. “There is a significant unmet need in the Alopecia Areata space and we aim to build on Concert’s commitment to supporting the Alopecia Areata patient community. We are well-positioned to successfully bring this product to market globally. I look forward to welcoming the exceptionally talented Concert team who have worked tirelessly to develop the product to bring it to market.”

“We are pleased to enter into this exciting transaction with Sun Pharma, which delivers substantial value to our shareholders and is the outcome of a thorough review process overseen by the Concert Board,” stated Roger Tung, Ph.D., President and CEO of Concert. “Our mission at Concert has always been to translate innovative science to clinical solutions in order to meaningfully improve patients’ lives. We are proud to see our team’s accomplishment – creating a valuable new drug candidate for a major, underserved disease – appropriately recognized and valued by Sun Pharma as a means to expand their ongoing, international commitment to dermatology. I am confident that this transaction will maximize value for our shareholders and enhance access to deuruxolitinib for patients with Alopecia Areata.”