Royalty Pharma to Acquire Royalty Interest in Geron’s RYTELO for $125 Million


  • RYTELO™ (imetelstat) is FDA approved for the treatment of low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes with transfusion-dependent anemia
  • Transaction increases Royalty Pharma’s synthetic royalty funding to $925 million in 2024, highlighting the significant opportunity for this attractive funding modality

NEW YORK, Nov. 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) today announced that it will acquire a synthetic royalty on U.S. sales of Geron Corporation’s (Nasdaq: GERN) RYTELO for $125 million in cash upfront.

RYTELO was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2024 for the treatment of certain adult patients with low- to intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) with transfusion-dependent (TD) anemia. Additionally, The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines were updated to include imetelstat as a Category 1 and 2A treatment of symptomatic anemia in patients with LR-MDS. Geron is currently enrolling a Phase 3 trial of imetelstat in myelofibrosis patients who are relapsed/refractory to JAK-inhibitors.

“RYTELO is an important therapy for the lower-risk MDS patient population, who otherwise have limited treatment options, and we look forward to its development in other hematologic malignancy indications. We are delighted to establish this partnership with Geron to help fuel their execution of significant commercial and development opportunities ahead” said Pablo Legorreta, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Royalty Pharma.

“The significant financial commitment from an exceptional long-term partner like Royalty Pharma strengthens our cash position and further solidifies our balance sheet, while providing flexibility to invest in our future” said John Scarlett, Geron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that the terms reflect the significant commercial potential of RYTELO.”

Royalty Pharma has provided $125 million at closing and will receive tiered royalty payments on U.S. net sales of RYTELO, ranging from 7.75% of annual net sales up to $500 million, 3.0% of annual net sales between $500 million and $1 billion, and 1.0% of annual net sales over $1 billion. Payments to Royalty Pharma will cease if the aggregate royalties payable through June 30, 2031 reach a multiple of 1.65 its investment, otherwise the royalty payments will continue until Royalty Pharma receives a multiple of 2.0 its investment. 

Advisors

TD Cowen served as financial advisor and Cooley LLP served as legal advisor to Geron. Goodwin Procter and Fenwick & West LLP served as legal advisors to Royalty Pharma.

About Royalty Pharma plc

Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry, collaborating with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and non-profits through small and mid-cap biotechnology companies to leading global pharmaceutical companies. Royalty Pharma has assembled a portfolio of royalties which entitles it to payments based directly on the top-line sales of many of the industry’s leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry both directly and indirectly - directly when it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties, and indirectly when it acquires existing royalties from the original innovators. Royalty Pharma’s current portfolio includes royalties on more than 35 commercial products, including Vertex’s Trikafta, GSK’s Trelegy, Roche’s Evrysdi, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, Biogen’s Tysabri and Spinraza, AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson’s Imbruvica, Astellas and Pfizer’s Xtandi, Novartis’ Promacta, Pfizer’s Nurtec ODT and Gilead’s Trodelvy, and 15 development-stage product candidates.

Royalty Pharma Forward-Looking Statements

The information set forth herein does not purport to be complete or to contain all of the information you may desire. Statements contained herein are made as of the date of this document unless stated otherwise, and neither the delivery of this document at any time, nor any sale of securities, shall under any circumstances create an implication that the information contained herein is correct as of any time after such date or that information will be updated or revised to reflect information that subsequently becomes available or changes occurring after the date hereof.

This document contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that express the company’s opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results, in contrast with statements that reflect historical facts. Examples include discussion of Royalty Pharma’s strategies, financing plans, growth opportunities and market growth. In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could” or “should,” the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the company. However, these forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of Royalty Pharma’s performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and other variable circumstances, and other factors. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the statements to be inaccurate and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Many of these risks are outside of the company’s control and could cause its actual results to differ materially from those it thought would occur. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date hereof. The company does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.

Certain information contained in this document relates to or is based on studies, publications, surveys and other data obtained from third-party sources and the company’s own internal estimates and research. While the company believes these third-party sources to be reliable as of the date of this document, it has not independently verified, and makes no representation as to the adequacy, fairness, accuracy or completeness of, any information obtained from third-party sources. In addition, all of the market data included in this document involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and there can be no guarantee as to the accuracy or reliability of such assumptions. Finally, while the company believes its own internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any independent source.

For further information, please reference Royalty Pharma’s reports and documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") by visiting EDGAR on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Royalty Pharma Investor Relations and Communications

+1 (212) 883-6772
ir@royaltypharma.com