Grünenthal agrees to acquire European rights to CRESTOR™ (rosuvastatin) from AstraZeneca

Aachen, Germany, 1 December 2020 –Grünenthal, a global science-based, privately-owned pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the European rights (excluding Spain and the UK) to CRESTOR™ (rosuvastatin) and its associated brands for a total consideration of up to US$ 350 million. CRESTOR™ is among the leading statin products in Europe and is indicated for the treatment of dyslipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and the prevention of cardiovascular events. Compared to other statins such as atorvastatin, CRESTOR™ has demonstrated superior LDL- cholesterol- lowering efficacy.[1] The level of LDL is an important factor for the improvement of cardiovascular outcomes and therefore especially important in patients with high risk of cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes or stroke.

“Cardiovascular diseases are among the most burdensome diseases in Europe[2] and we are excited to include such a well-established product in our portfolio”, said Gabriel Baertschi, Grünenthal CEO.
“The acquisition of European rights to CRESTOR^TM is yet another proof of our strategy aiming at strengthening Grünenthal’s financial performance and bringing strong brands to patients across our markets.”

Under the terms of this agreement, Grünenthal will acquire the exclusive rights to market CRESTOR^TM and its second brands in more than 30 European markets. Grünenthal will also take over bulk production and packaging for the defined markets by 2025. CRESTOR^TM continues to generate significant revenues despite having lost exclusivity. Total CRESTOR^TM 2019 sales in the countries where rights were acquired were US$ 136 million (€ 122 million).

This acquisition is expected to generate a significant profit contribution in the upcoming years, supporting Grünenthal’s strategy aiming at concluding profit accretive deals that strengthen the company’s financial performance. The acquisition is subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities, with closing expected in the first quarter of 2021.

The acquisition of CRESTOR™ is part of a series of acquisitions and partnerships Grünenthal has entered into in the last few years, including European rights to Nexium™, the global (ex US and Japan) rights to Vimovo™, global rights to Qutenza™, and global (ex Japan) rights to Zomig™. The company has signed deals with a total value of more than US$ 1.7 billion since 2016. Recently, the company announced the FDA label-extension approval of Qutenza™ for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet. Grünenthal aims to further strengthen its research and innovation capabilities in pain and to explore commercial growth opportunities in its core markets, specifically Europe, the US and Latin America.

About CRESTOR™

Crestor™ (rosuvastatin) is a statin, a lipid-lowering agent, used to treat blood-lipid disorders and to prevent cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes. Crestor™ produces its lipid-modifying effects in two ways: it blocks an enzyme in the liver causing the liver to make less cholesterol, and it increases the uptake and breakdown by the liver of cholesterol already in the blood. Crestor™is approved as a lipid-regulating medicine in more than 100 countries.

[1]Adams SP, Sekhon SS and Wright JM. Rosuvastatin for lowering lipids (Review), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014, 11; Faergeman O, Hill L, Windler E, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin when force-titrated in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. Results from the ECLIPSE Study. Cardiology. 2008;111:219-228; Bullano, Michael F, et al. Effect of rosuvastatin compared with other statins on lipid levels and National Cholesterol Education Program goal attainment for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in a usual care setting. Pharmacotherapy. 2006 Apr;26(4):469-78.
[2] Townsend N, Wilson L, Bhatnagar P et al. Cardiovascular disease in Europe: epidemiological update 2016. European Heart Journal. 2016;37:3232-3245.