TEL-AVIV - RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDHL) ('RedHill' or the 'Company'), a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that it has completed the recently announced acquisition of the global rights, excluding Europe, Canada and Israel, to Movantik (naloxegol)1, for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC)2 from AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN).
'We are expanding the promotion of Movantik with our current sales force of approximately 100 sales representatives. Given the excellent work that AstraZeneca has done to date, we expect a smooth transition of all commercial activities. We are excited for the opportunity to grow the call points for Movantik and offer more patients this preferred treatment for opioid-induced constipation,' said Rick Scruggs, Chief Commercial Officer of RedHill.
Adi Frish, Senior VP Business Development and Licensing of RedHill added: 'We are delighted to add Movantik to our GI-focused commercial basket. We will continue to aggressively drive both organic and non-organic growth following the launches of Aemcolo and Talicia and the acquisition of Movantik.'
Movantik is the first oral peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) approved in the U.S. for OIC. It is recommended by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guidelines3 and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. OIC is the most prevalent and disabling adverse effect associated with opioid therapy, estimated to affect between 40-80% of the millions of patients taking chronic opioid therapy each year4. Movantik generated U.S. net sales of $96 million in 2019 and is the number one prescribed PAMORA5. The acquisition of Movantik was supported by a non-dilutive acquisition financing by HealthCare Royalty Partners (HCR).
SVB Leerink acted as exclusive financial advisor and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP acted as special transaction counsel to RedHill on the transaction.
About Movantik
Movantik is a proprietary once-daily oral PAMORA approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of OIC in adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain, including patients with chronic pain related to prior cancer or its treatment who do not require frequent (e.g. weekly) opioid dosage escalation. Movantik is the first oral PAMORA approved in the U.S. for the treatment of OIC and is recommended by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guidelines6 and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Movantik is part of the exclusive worldwide license agreement announced in 2009 between AstraZeneca and Nektar Therapeutics. It was developed using Nektar's oral small-molecule polymer conjugate technology. Movantik was first approved in 2014 and launched in the U.S. by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo in 2015.
About Opioid-Induced Constipation (OIC)
OIC is a condition caused by prescription opioid pain medicines. Opioids play an important role in chronic pain relief and work by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous system, but they can also bind to mu-receptors in the bowel, which can result in patients suffering from OIC. OIC is the most prevalent and disabling adverse effect associated with opioid therapy, estimated to affect between 40-80% of the millions of patients taking chronic opioid therapy each year4.
About RedHill Biopharma Ltd.
RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDHL) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on gastrointestinal diseases. RedHill promotes the gastrointestinal drugs, Talicia for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in adults7, Aemcolo for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea in adults8 and Movantik for opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults. RedHill's key clinical late-stage development programs include: (i) RHB-104, with positive results from a first Phase 3 study for Crohn's disease; (ii) RHB-204, with a planned pivotal Phase 3 study for pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections; (iii) RHB-102 (Bekinda), with positive results from a Phase 3 study for acute gastroenteritis and gastritis and positive results from a Phase 2 study for IBS-D; (iv) Opaganib (Yeliva), a first-in-class SK2 selective inhibitor, targeting multiple oncology, inflammatory and gastrointestinal indications, with an ongoing Phase 1/2a study for cholangiocarcinoma; (v) RHB-106, an encapsulated bowel preparation, and (vi) RHB-107, a Phase 2-stage first-in-class, serine protease inhibitor, targeting cancer and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases.
Contact:
Adi Frish
Tel: +972-54-6543-112
Email: adi@redhillbio.com
REDHILL BIOPHARMA LTD. 
