An Israeli plasma-derived biopharmaceutical product company has tripled in size, acquiring four new Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments and opening a commercial arm in the United States.
Kamada, located in southern Israel, last week announced the acquisition of four plasma-derived antibody products sold primarily in the US and Canada from Saol Therapeutics, a commercial specialty pharmaceutical company that had been focused on addressing the medical needs of underserved and unserved patients.
The combined 2021 annual global revenue from the four products is expected to be around $45 million.
The move represents a “strategic transformation” for the Israeli company, Kamada CEO Amir London said.
Prior to the acquisition, Kamada had two FDA-approved biopharmaceuticals.
“This is an atypical transaction for an Israeli biotech company,” London explained. “Most Israeli companies are sold or have exits, and here we are doing the opposite. We purchased four products from a US company and we are bringing the IP back to Israel.”
At least one of the products, Cytogam that is used to treat the prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus disease associated with various organ transplants, will soon move its manufacturing to Kamada’s plant in Beersheba.
“The tech transfer process for Cytogam is already well underway, and Kamada expects to receive FDA approval for manufacturing of the product and initiate commercial manufacturing of the product at its facility in Israel, by the end of 2022,” a press release explained.
London said the company also hopes to transfer the other three products to Israel too, creating more jobs in the periphery.
“As a result of this acquisition, Kamada takes an important step toward becoming a global leader in the plasma-derived specialty hyperimmune market, and we expect to leverage our existing strong international distribution network to grow the acquired portfolio’s revenues in new geographic markets,” London said. “Importantly, this transaction adds eight new international markets, primarily in the MENA region, to our current distribution network.”
The other three acquired products are WINRHO SDF, used for various indications that require an increase in platelet count to prevent excessive hemorrhage; HepaGam B, used primarily for the prevention of Hepatitis B recurrence following liver transplantation; and Varizig, a product that contains antibodies specific for the Varicella-zoster virus (related to chicken pox and shingles).
Kamada paid Saol $95m. upfront and will pay an additional $50m. in sales based on key milestones between 2022-2034.