Horizon Pharma plc to Acquire Crealta Holdings LLC in All Cash Acquisition

DUBLIN, IRELAND--(Marketwired - Dec 11, 2015) - Horizon Pharma plc (NASDAQ: HZNP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patients' lives by identifying, developing, acquiring and commercializing differentiated and accessible medicines that address unmet medical needs, today announced it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Crealta Holdings LLC for $510 million in cash. 

"The Crealta acquisition further diversifies our portfolio of medicines and aligns with our focus of acquiring value-enhancing, clinically differentiated, long-life medicines that treat orphan diseases," said Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Horizon Pharma plc. "We have a proven track record of strong commercial execution and the ability to generate volume growth for clinically differentiated medicines. With our experienced rheumatology sales force and orphan expertise, we expect to expand the number of patients identified and treated with KRYSTEXXA. As with all of our orphan medicines, we plan to maximize additional development opportunities of KRYSTEXXA."

Strategic and financial benefits of the transaction:

• Anticipate transaction to add $70 to $80 million in net sales and $45 to $50 million in adjusted EBITDA in the first twelve months following closing.
• Leverages rheumatology infrastructure and 41-person sales force currently promoting RAYOS and PENNSAID 2% to rheumatologists.
• Adds a biologic medicine in an orphan disease with strong intellectual property protection through 2027 and further diversifies net sales.
• Reinforces focus of Company's long-range plan where orphan business is expected to be approximately 60 percent of net sales in 2020.

KRYSTEXXA is the first and only FDA-approved medicine for chronic refractory gout, which is an orphan disease and a type of arthritis that occurs when uric acid build up in the blood remains high and inflammation persists even after treatment with conventional therapies. According to estimates, chronic refractory gout impacts approximately 50,000 people in the United States. Since its FDA approval in 2010, between 4,000 and 5,000 patients have been treated with KRYSTEXXA.