Regeneron inks $295M antibody discovery deal with Astellas

Regeneron's growing antibody expertise is paying off with a rich, newly renegotiated discovery deal with Japan's Astellas. The pharma company has decided to scrap its three-year-old collaboration--under which it paid Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron $20 million a year to find promising new drug candidates--and agreed to hand over $165 million up front with a potential $130 million check due eight years from now. Provided Astellas is happy with the first half of the deal and re-ups for the second,...

Ambitious Regeneron unveils mixed PhIII results for gout drug

Inspired by a string of development failures, Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is endeavoring to find out if it can duplicate the ambitious R&D strategy that made Genentech a star in the biotech world. And if the developer can bring in approvals on all three of its drug programs now in late-stage development, analysts estimate the potential reward at $2 billion in annual revenue. This morning, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced that its gout drug...

Regeneron outlines a blockbuster future

To hear Reuters tell it this morning, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is on the cusp of reaching biotech's center ring. The developer has a research budget this year of more than $700 million--with Sanofi Aventis providing $160 million--and will have data on seven late-stage trials. If they're successful, Regeneron execs say they will have pivotal data on two potential blockbusters and a third drug that could earn $500 million a year. "The cycle is getting to be in full swing," CEO Leonard Schleifer...