A startup conceived to improve emergency treatment for epileptic seizures based on a father’s fears for his son’s safety has been sold to a large biopharma company also making a rescue therapy for the dangerous attacks.
UCB (UCBJF), based in Brussels, on Friday said it has acquired Engage Therapeutics of Summit, N.J., for $125 million upfront, with potential milestone payments of up to $145 million. Engage is developing Staccato Alprazolam, a combination of an inhaler and the drug alprazolam, that has been tested in a Phase 2 clinical trial to see if it can quickly halt an epileptic seizure. UCB won Food and Drug Administration approval last year for its own inhalable form of midazolam, which, like alprazolam, belongs to the class of drugs called benzodiazepines.
About the Author Reprints
