Allergan, a leading global pharmaceutical company, announced earlier that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, a company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel prescription products for the medical aesthetics market. Allergan acquired Kythera in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.1 billion.
The acquisition of Kythera adds Kybella (deoxycholic acid) injection, the first FDA approved non-surgical injection for improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe submental fullness, commonly referred to as double-chin, in adults. Kybella is administered by a trained physician who injects the product under a patient's chin to destroy fat cells, improving the appearance of the patient's chin area. Up to six treatments may be administered per patient no less than one month apart, and each in-office treatment session lasts approximately twenty minutes.
"The completion of the Kythera acquisition is an important moment for Allergan and our world-class aesthetics business, adding highly differentiated products and development programs that enhance our product offering to global customers and their patients," says Brent Saunders, CEO and president of Allergan. "Kybella is a game-changing product in facial aesthetics, and builds on our leadership in the facial aesthetics market. We now can provide a broader range of market-leading aesthetics products to our customers, with Kybella joining Botox Cosmetic, Juvederm XC, Juvederm Voluma XC and Latisse. Kybella, a product I have been treated with myself, is also a key entry point for expanding the use of our aesthetics products in men, a growing market opportunity in both the U.S. and around the world."
The acquisition also adds Kythera's development product setipiprant (KYTH-105), a novel compound for the prevention of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or male pattern hair loss, as well as additional early-stage development candidates. Kythera has submitted an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for setipiprant for the treatment of AGA. Allergan plans to conduct a human proof-of-concept study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of setipiprant in male subjects with AGA.