Sosei Enters Peptide Market With Jitsubo Acqusition

The acquisition of peptide technology company Jitsubo diversifies Sosei’s existing pipeline.

AsianScientist (Dec. 16, 2014) – Japanese biopharmaceutical Sosei Group Corporation has acquired Jitsubo, a peptide technology company, for ¥431 million (~US$3.66 million).

In recent years, Sosei has successfully secured a steady revenue stream from milestones and royalty payments from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) products licensed to Novartis (Seebri® Breezhaler® and Ultibro® Breezhaler®).

As part of their mid to long term stratgey, Sosei has acquired Jitsubo to enhance its corporate value. Under the capital alliance agreement, Sosei will acquire the majority of Jitsubo shares as well as underwrite a third party allocation of new shares.

Jitsubo was established in April 2005 by Professor Kazuhiro Chiba of the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, with the aim of bringing a commercial focus to his scientific findings.

The company is focused on the development of peptide generic products and identification of new drug candidates based on their peptide synthesis and molecule modification technologies, Molecular HivingTM and PeptuneTM. Together, these technologies enable efficient synthesis and isolation of peptide analogue compounds.

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Source: Jitsubo.
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