Chugai buys ‘Asia lag’ firm Renalys for $98m upfront

Roche’s Japanese unit Chugai Pharma has reached a deal to buy Renalys Pharma, a company set up to bring therapies developed elsewhere to markets in Asia.

Chugai is paying JP 15 billion ($98 million) upfront for Tokyo-based Renalys, with another JPY 16 billion on the table if its lead drug sparsentan reaches the market in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan and achieves sales targets.

Sparsentan is an oral antagonist of endothelin type A (ETA) and angiotensin II subtype 1 (AT1) receptors, developed by Travere Therapeutics, which has been approved as Filspari in the US and Europe as a treatment…