Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has completed its acquisition of exclusive worldwide rights to Chimerix's Tembexa, the first oral antiviral approved by the U.S. FDA for all age groups for the treatment of smallpox.
Per the terms of the deal, Maryland-based Emergent will pay $238 million upfront to Chimerix, with the possibility of $124 million in milestone payments as well as $12.5 million when certain other milestones are met.
North Carolina-based Chimerix was granted approval for Tembexa back in June 2021. The nucleotide analog lipid-conjugate was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). Last month, Chimerix was granted a10-year contract valued at up to $680 million, to supply up to 1.7 million treatment courses of tablet and suspension formulations of Tembexa to the U.S. government. The contract includes an initial product procurement valued at approximately $115 million, with optional future procurement, valued at up to approximately $551 million. In addition to product procurement, the contract includes reimbursed post marketing activities of approximately $12 million.
Emergent will now inherit this contract and add Tembexa to its portfolio of smallpox medical countermeasures which already consists of a smallpox vaccine and therapeutic for smallpox vaccine complications.
