DRI Healthcare Trust Announces Acquisition of an Additional Royalty Interest in the Worldwide Sales of Xenpozyme? (olipudase alfa) for the Treatment of Acid Sphingomyelinase Deficiency
– Transaction pushes total committed capital to over US$1 billion since IPO –
– Second Xenpozyme royalty increases exposure to rare diseases –
– Long-term asset further increases portfolio duration –
TORONTO, July 2, 2024 /CNW/ - DRI Healthcare Trust (TSX: DHT.UN) (TSX: DHT.U) (the "Trust"), a global leader in providing financing to advance innovation in the life sciences industry, has acquired a second royalty interest in the worldwide net sales of Xenpozyme (olipudase alfa) from HLS Therapeutics Inc. ("HLS") for an aggregate purchase price of up to US$45.75 million, comprised of a US$13.25 million upfront payment and up to US$32.5 million in performance-based outbound milestone payments.
DRI Healthcare Trust (TSX: DHT.UN/DHT.U) Logo (CNW Group/DRI Healthcare Trust)
Xenpozyme is the only product developed and approved for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency ("ASMD"), also known as Niemann-Pick disease, in pediatric and adult patients. Xenpozyme was approved in Japan in March 2022, by the European Commission in June 2022, and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August 2022. There are no other products currently known to be in late-stage development for the treatment of ASMD. Xenpozyme is marketed worldwide by Sanofi S.A. ("Sanofi").
"Xenpozyme is an important treatment that materially increases the quality of life of patients suffering from ASMD," said Behzad Khosrowshahi, the Trust's Chief Executive Officer. "The drug has performed well since our initial investment in October 2022, and we are pleased to increase our exposure to this rare disease therapy. Sanofi is the market leader in commercialization of enzyme replacement therapies ("ERT") and we believe they can facilitate access to the drug for the hundreds of ASMD patients around the globe. This long-tailed asset helps increase our portfolio duration, providing value for unitholders over the long term."
Speaking on behalf of the investment manager, Chief Investment Officer Navin Jacob commented, "ASMD is an extremely rare progressive genetic disease with significant morbidity and mortality, especially among infants and children. Signs and symptoms of ASMD may include enlarged spleen or liver, difficulty breathing, lung infections, and unusual bruising or bleeding, among others. Xenpozyme aligns with our investment criteria of treating serious disease areas and is a drug that benefits doctors, payors and most importantly, patients."
The transaction entitles the Trust to an approximately 1% royalty on worldwide sales of Xenpozyme. The Trust will receive all royalties up to US$6.3 million in royalty receipts per calendar year, with a 50% step down for all royalty receipts above this amount. Royalties will be paid bi-annually on a two-quarter lag from the half year period when sales occur. We estimate that the Trust will receive its first royalty from this entitlement in Q2 2025 based on third and fourth quarter 2024 sales.
Upon achievement of certain thresholds of worldwide net sales of Xenpozyme, the Trust is obligated to pay up to US$32.5 million in milestone payments subject to the achievement of performance-based thresholds.
About Xenpozyme
Xenpozyme addresses a significant unmet need in ASMD patients. It is an intravenously infused recombinant human acid sphingomyelinase enzyme intended to directly replace ASM expression in patients with ASMD, thereby improving clinical manifestations of the disease. Xenpozyme is the first and only investigational ERT that was evaluated and approved for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of ASMD.
About DRI Healthcare Trust
DRI Healthcare Trust is managed by DRI Capital Inc. ("DRI Healthcare"), the pioneer in global pharmaceutical royalty monetization with a 35-year history of accelerating innovation by providing capital to inventors, academic institutions and biopharma companies. Since its founding in 1989, DRI Healthcare has deployed more than US$3.0 billion, acquiring more than 70 royalties on 45-plus drugs, including Eylea, Keytruda, Orserdu, Spinraza, Stelara, Vonjo, Zejula and Zytiga. DRI Healthcare Trust's units are listed and trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canadian dollars under the symbol "DHT.UN" and in U.S. dollars under the symbol "DHT.U". To learn more, visit drihealthcare.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Caution concerning forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "aim", "plan", "believe", "budget", "estimate", "forecast", "foresee", "close to", "target" or negative versions thereof and similar expressions. Some of the specific forward-looking information in this news release may include, among other things, statements regarding the timing of the first royalty payment pursuant to the additional royalty interest in Xenpozyme, our royalty cash receipts, the timing of royalty payments anticipated royalty income and anticipated sales of the products underlying our royalties. This forward-looking information is subject to a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to: statements regarding the terms and conditions of our transactions are based on the transaction documentation, statements with respect to royalty income, total income and future sales of the products underlying our existing royalties are based on assumptions with respect to timing of generic drugs entering the market, competitor drugs receiving approval and entering the market, and regulatory measures under the Inflation Reduction Act, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Trust's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those that are disclosed in the Trust's most recent annual information form. The anticipated royalty terms for products in our portfolio may be shorter than the period of patent protection for the applicable product, depending on many factors, including the entry of generic drugs into the marketplace and competition, all of which are outside our control. All forward-looking information in this news release speaks as of the date of this news release. The Trust does not undertake to update any such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained in the Trust's filings with securities regulators, including its latest annual information form and management's discussion and analysis. These filings are also available on the Trust's website at drihealthcare.com.
