Biogen Idec (BIIB: Quote) has sold to a DRI Capital managed fund its royalty and other rights pertaining to BENLYSTA to which Biogen Idec is entitled pursuant to a license deal with Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGSI: Quote) and Glaxo Group Ltd. According to the agreement between Biogen Idec and DRI, Human Genome Sciences and Glaxo Group Ltd. would make royalty payments directly to DRI instead of to Biogen Idec. In turn, DRI would pay Biogen Idec a multiple of certain of the royalties received for the period covering October 2011 to September 2014.
Following that period, DRI would retain the royalty payments from BENLYSTA sales, with certain exceptions, including a one-time contingency payment that could be triggered if the cumulative royalties to DRI exceed an agreed amount. The initial payment by DRI to Biogen Idec, covering the royalty period from October 1, 2011 to March 30, 2012 is nearly $18.3 million and would be recognized into income as a gain in the third quarter.
BENLYSTA was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in March 2011 and by the European Medicines Agency in July 2011 to treat systemic lupus erythematosus.
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by RTT Staff Writer
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