Shire (NSDQ:SHPGY) said it aquired Cambridge, Mass.-based Lotus Tissue Repair, which is developing the 1st protein replacement therapy to treat dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disease.
The purchase includes an upfront payment and later milestone payments, but specific details were not released.
Shire, based in Dublin and Lexington, Mass., said its human genetic therapies division will continue the development of Lotus Tissue Repair’s treatment, which is in the pre-clinical stage.
"DEB is one the most devastating orphan diseases, severely impacting the lives of patients and their families, many of whom have few or no treatment options other than palliative care," Shire human genetic therapies’ global head of R&D Dr. Philip Vickers said in prepared remarks.
DEB patient have fragile skin that blisters from minor mechanical friction or trauma, including internal blistering of the mouth, esophagus, lower GI tract and upper airway, according to the release.
Shire last year acquired Pervasis Therapeutics and its endothelial cell technology for an undisclosed amount. It spent $750 million buying Advanced BioHealing and its DermaGraft diabetic foot ulcer treatment from Smith & Nephew(NYSE:SNN) when the British health products giant abandoned it in 2005 after the FDA rejected it as a leg ulcer therapy.