Cerecor to Acquire Ichorion Therapeutics

Cerecor announced that it has agreed to acquire Ichorion Therapeutics, Inc. Ichorion is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments and increasing awareness of inherited metabolic disorders known as Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEMs). The terms of the agreement include the issuance of approximately 5,800,000 shares of Cerecor common stock at closing, subject to an end of 2019 lock-up, and development milestones worth up to an additional $15 million, payable either in Cerecor stock or in cash in certain circumstances.

The transaction was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both Cerecor and Ichorion and is expected to close later today.

Ichorion has established a unique pipeline of genetically-targeted therapies that complement Cerecor’s mission of developing treatments for pediatric and orphan indications. Their pipeline augments the existing neurology assets in Cerecor’s pipeline, adding multiple substrate replacement therapies with the potential to leverage the 505(b)(2) pathway to accelerate development and approval. There is the potential for the first 505(b)(2) program’s New Drug Application (NDA) to be submitted within calendar year 2020. Ichorion has also expanded a platform chemistry to address IEMs that are unresponsive to traditional substrate replacement. The combined pipeline is exclusively focused on therapeutic approaches that have demonstrated clinical or genetic validation in neurological and pediatric orphan disorders with high unmet medical needs.

Peter Greenleaf, Cerecor’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are extremely excited to complete this acquisition, as these clinical and preclinical assets solidify our pipeline of rare disease and orphan drugs. Specifically, these compounds fit nicely into our Pediatric Portfolio, complementing both our orphan drug pipeline and commercial footprint in Pediatrics. The bonus is the potential for expedited development and approval by taking advantage of the 505(b)(2) hybrid pathway. Two of Ichorion’s programs have already been granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and are eligible for Priority Review Vouchers upon approval. We also anticipate potential regulatory designations that can further accelerate our ability to put these medicines in the hands of physicians and caregivers to treat children afflicted with these rare diseases.”