On February 6, 2023, Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (Lantheus), a company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through radiotherapy, diagnostics, and AI solutions that help clinicians to Find, Fight, and Follow® diseases, announced the acquisition of Cerveau Technologies, Inc. (Cerveau).
Cerveau's primary asset is MK-6240, which is a second-gen F 18-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent that targets Tau tangles present in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes a steady and gradual deterioration in cognition and function. Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 6.5 million people in the United States. As the population ages, the frequency of this disease is expected to climb further, and by 2050, the number of persons 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may reach 12.7 million.
MK-6240 is a clinical-stage PET development candidate that is designed to identify Tau protein that accumulates as neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of individuals suffering or suspected of Alzheimer's disease. MK-6240 has the potential to help in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, staging, treatment selection and response to therapy. Despite being in clinical development, MK-6240 is now being employed in over 60 academic and industrial clinical studies worldwide for various late-stage Alzheimer's disease therapeutic candidates, being explored by more than 16 pharmaceutical firms.
Following the terms of the agreement, Lantheus will make an upfront payment as well as potential further development and commercial milestone payments. It will also pay double-digit royalties on research revenue and commercial sales. In addition, the deal, which is structured as a stock acquisition, stipulates, among other things, that the seller would offer transition and clinical development services for a specified period after the conclusion of the transaction.
In this transaction, Chestnut Partners, Inc. served as the exclusive financial advisor to Cerveau. At the same time, Lantheus was advised by Foley Hoag LLP in connection with the acquisition.
About Lantheus
Founded in 1956, Lantheus offers novel diagnostics, targeted medicines, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to help clinicians Find, Fight, and Follow® diseases. It has been delivering life-changing research to patients and clinicians for over 60 years, going above and beyond to enhance lives and outcomes. Lantheus Holdings is the parent company of Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., Inc. and EXINI Diagnostics AB. Headquartered in North Billerica, Massachusetts, the company has offices in New Jersey, Canada and Sweden.