Pharmaceutical company Acorda Therapeutics agreed on Wednesday to acquire Civitas Therapeutics, a US-based developer of treatments for Parkinson’s disease, in a $525m cash deal, allowing pharmaceutical company Alkermes to exit.
Acorda will gain the rights to CVT-301, Civitas’ Phase 3 candidate for Parkinson’s, as well as its technology and commercials-scale production facility in Massachusetts.
Civitas had raised just over $120m in funding, most recently closing a $55m series C round last month funded by Alkermes and several venture capital investors. Alkermes owned a 7% stake in Civitas at the close of the round, giving it a return of $36.75m.
Civitas filed for an $86.2m initial public offering the following day, from which it will now withdraw.
Ron Cohen, Acorda’s CEO, said: “The acquisition adds an exciting product candidate to Acorda’s pipeline that addresses a significant unmet need in Parkinson’s disease. It also leverages Acorda’s existing development and commercial capabilities and creates an opportunity for us to develop a global presence.