Iveric takeout spotlights how Astellas builds in new areas of focus

Astellas’ $5.9 billion purchase of Iveric gives the pharma an anchor product in ophthalmology that’s likely to gain approval this year, once again showing that the pharma is willing to build in emerging areas of focus via acquisitions. But it leaves outstanding the question: Who might acquire competitor Apellis, Iveric’s nearest rival in the geographic atrophy field?

Iveric bio Inc. (NASDAQ:ISEE) figures to trail Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) to market in geographic atrophy by at least a few months, but the two have led the chase for approval in an increasingly crowded indication. Iveric’s Zimura avacincaptad pegol has a PDUFA date of Aug. 19, while Apellis’ Syfovre pegcetacoplan became the first FDA-approved therapy in February for the blindness disorder secondary to age-related macular degeneration...