Marathon offloads Emflaza to PTC

Amid widespread criticism over the drug's proposed price, PTC Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PTCT) is acquiring Emflaza deflazacort from Marathon Pharmaceuticals LLC (Northbrook, Ill.) for $140 million, five weeks after FDA approved the steroid to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

According to an analysis conducted by BioCentury, in order to generate $140 million in nominal sales over the next five years, Emflaza would need an average blended net price across all channels of about $21,000 per patient per year, assuming 25% of the 9,000 eligible U.S. patients would be on therapy by 2022...