AstraZeneca to Acquire Ardea For Approximately $1.26 Billion

AstraZeneca and Ardea Biosciences April 23 announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which AstraZeneca will acquire Ardea for approximately $1.26 billion.

Ardea is a San Diego-based biotechnology company focused on the development of small-molecule therapeutics. Ardea’s most clinically advanced product candidate, lesinurad, currently is in phase III development as a potential treatment for the chronic management of hyperuricaemia in patients with gout. The company said it plans to file a new drug application for the drug in the first half of 2014.

AstraZeneca said the agreement also would add to its pipeline RDEA3170, a next-generation ...