Novartis Delighted With Xiidra Deal Despite Eye-Watering Price

Shire got hold of the eyedrop product in 2013 through its acquisition of SARcode which cost $160m and despite struggling on the market, Novartis is paying $3.4bn upfront to buy Xiidra.

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Novartis pays big bucks for dry eye drug • Source: Shutterstock

It was no surprise that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. was looking to divest Xiidra, which it got access to following the $62bn acquisition of Shire PLC earlier this year, but the amount that Novartis AG has agreed to pay for the dry eye drug has certainly raised eyebrows.

The Swiss giant is to pay $3.4bn upfront for Xiidra (lifitegrast) plus potential milestone payments of up to $1.9bn, a...

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