LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2018 / Active-Investors.com has just released a free research report on Ionis Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) (''Ionis''). If you want access to this report all you need to do is sign up now by clicking the following link www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=IONS as the Company's latest news hit the wire. On March 15, 2018, the Company announced that it has granted its affiliate, Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKCA), an exclusive global license to develop and commercialize Ionis' inotersen and IONIS-TTR-LRx (AKCEA-TTR-LRx), in a transaction worth up to approximately $1.7 billion. Register today and get access to over 1,000 Free Research Reports by joining our site below:

www.active-investors.com/registration-sg

Active-Investors.com is focused on giving you timely information and the inside line on companies that matter to you. This morning, Ionis Pharma and Akcea Therapeutics most recent news is on our radar and our team decided to put out a fantastic report on the company that is now available for free below:

www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=IONS

www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/?symbol=AKCA

Terms of the Agreement

  • Ionis will receive an upfront licensing fee of $150 million from Akcea, payable in of Akcea's shares. To support commercialization of inotersen, Ionis will purchase $200 million of Akcea's shares. Upon closing this transaction, Ionis' ownership in Akcea will increase from 68% to 75%, totaling 64,114,545 shares.
  • Regulatory approval of inotersen and AKCEA-TTR-LRx in the US and EU will trigger milestone payments to Ionis of $50 million and $40 million, respectively, with additional milestone payments due upon approval of both programs in various other geographies.
  • The license fee and initial milestone payments may be payable in Akcea's common stock at fair market value. Commercial profits and losses from inotersen will be split 60%/40% between Ionis and Akcea until the first commercial sales of AKCEA-TTR-LRx, after which the profits and losses will be shared 50%/50.
  • The development costs of AKCEA-TTR-LRx and the profits from its commercialization will be shared 50/50. The license for the two drugs also includes total milestone payments of approximately $1.3 billion.
  • The transaction, expected to close in Q2 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions and other regulatory approvals. Novartis Pharma AG, one of Akcea's largest shareholders, has agreed to vote in favor of the proposal with its shares of common stock, representing approximately 9.4% of the issued and outstanding shares.
  • The inotersen commercial team will join Akcea, to assist in the ongoing launch preparations for inotersen. Upon closing of the transaction, Sarah Boyce, who is currently Ionis' Chief Business Officer, will join Akcea as President and Board member.

News reports suggest that post announcement of the news, Akcea's shares surged in the midday trading.

Partnership with Akcea will Maximize Commercial Value of Inotersen

Commenting on the agreement, Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Ionis, stated that this partnership with Akcea will maximize the commercial value of inotersen and Ionis' TTR franchise. The potential to add commercial revenue from both inotersen and volanesorsen to the Company's growing Spinraza® royalties helps Ionis achieve its goal of being a multiproduct, profitable company.

FDA is Expected to Decide Upon Approval of Inotersen by July 06, 2018

The newly combined Akcea team is preparing to launch inotersen in the US and EU following planned approvals in mid-2018 to treat people with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR). The companies are also developing AKCEA-TTR-LRx for hereditary and wild-type forms of ATTR. AKCEA-TTR-LRx is planned to enter clinical development in 2018. In January 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Ionis' New Drug Application (NDA) for Priority Review. The FDA had set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date of July 06, 2018.

Inotersen Previously Licensed to GlaxoSmithKline

In August 2017, GlaxoSmithKline declined its options for collaboration on inotersen and IONIS-FB-LRx. GlaxoSmithKline had paid approximately $35 million seven years prior to the termination. Post this announcement, Ionis retained all rights to the two drugs.

About Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis

Hereditary ATTR amyloidosis is an inherited, rapidly progressive, life-threatening disease, caused by a mutation in the TTR gene that results in misfolded TTR proteins accumulating as amyloid fibrils in multiple sites, including the nerves, heart, intestinal tract, eyes, kidneys, central nervous system, thyroid. and bone marrow. hATTR symptoms include sensory and motor, autonomic (e.g. diarrhea, hypotension, erectile dysfunction) and cardiac symptoms. Ultimately, hATTR results in death within three to fifteen years of symptom onset. Therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with hATTR are limited and there are currently no disease-modifying drugs approved.

About Inotersen

Inotersen is an antisense drug designed to reduce the production of transthyretin, or TTR protein, to treat TTR amyloidosis (ATTR), a systemic, progressive, and fatal disease. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Status to inotersen for the treatment of patients with polyneuropathy due to hATTR, and the European Medicines Agency has granted Orphan Drug Designation to inotersen for the treatment of patients with ATTR.

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Founded in 1989 and based in San Diego, Carlsbad, Ionis Pharmaceuticals is the leading company in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development with a pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class medicines with the potential to provide high value for patients with significant unmet medical needs.

About Akcea Therapeutics

Akcea Therapeutics is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, involved in the development and commercialization company focused on helping patients with serious cardiometabolic lipid disorders. The Company was established in 2015 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Stock Performance Snapshot

March 16, 2018 - At Friday's closing bell, Ionis Pharma's stock marginally fell 0.94%, ending the trading session at $51.69.

Volume traded for the day: 877.00 thousand shares.

Stock performance in the last month - up 6.93%; past twelve-month period - up 23.90%; and year-to-date - up 2.76%

After last Friday's close, Ionis Pharma's market cap was at $6.54 billion.

Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 64.86.

The stock is part of the Healthcare sector, categorized under the Drug Manufacturers - Other industry. This sector was up 0.2% at the end of the session.

Active-Investors:

Active-Investors (A-I) produces regular sponsored and non-sponsored reports, articles, stock market blogs, and popular investment newsletters covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and Canadian stocks. A-I has two distinct and independent departments. One department produces non-sponsored analyst certified content generally in the form of press releases, articles and reports covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and the other produces sponsored content (in most cases not reviewed by a registered analyst), which typically consists of compensated investment newsletters, articles and reports covering listed stocks and micro-caps. Such sponsored content is outside the scope of procedures detailed below.

A-I has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.

PRESS RELEASE PROCEDURES:

The non-sponsored content contained herein has been prepared by a writer (the ''Author'') and is fact checked and reviewed by a third-party research service company (the ''Reviewer'') represented by a credentialed financial analyst. For further information on analyst credentials, please email info@active-investors.com. Rohit Tuli, a CFA® charterholder (the ''Sponsor''), provides necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. The Reviewer has reviewed and revised the content, as necessary, based on publicly available information which is believed to be reliable. Content is researched, written and reviewed on a reasonable-effort basis. The Reviewer has not performed any independent investigations or forensic audits to validate the information herein. The Reviewer has only independently reviewed the information provided by the Author according to the procedures outlined by A-I. A-I is not entitled to veto or interfere in the application of such procedures by the third-party research service company to the articles, documents or reports, as the case may be. Unless otherwise noted, any content outside of this document has no association with the Author or the Reviewer in any way.

NO WARRANTY

A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer are not responsible for any error which may be occasioned at the time of printing of this document or any error, mistake or shortcoming. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document. A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer expressly disclaim any fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences, financial or otherwise arising from any reliance placed on the information in this document. Additionally, A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer do not (1) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or correct sequencing of the information, or (2) warrant any results from use of the information. The included information is subject to change without notice.

NOT AN OFFERING

This document is not intended as an offering, recommendation, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned or discussed, and is to be used for informational purposes only. Please read all associated disclosures and disclaimers in full before investing. Neither A-I nor any party affiliated with us is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer with any agency or in any jurisdiction whatsoever. To download our report(s), read our disclosures, or for more information, visithttp://active-investors.com/legal-disclaimer/.

CONTACT

For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly. If you're a company we are covering and wish to no longer feature on our coverage list contact us via email and/or phone between 09:30 EDT to 16:00 EDT from Monday to Friday at:

Email: info@active-investors.com

Phone number: 73 29 92 6381

Office Address: 6, Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

SOURCE: Active-Investors