Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
To clear regulatory conditions for AbbVie's Allergan acquisition, Allergan divested global rights to brazikumab back to AstraZeneca (which had originally licensed it in 2016). AstraZeneca regained worldwide development and commercial rights; Allergan funded development costs through completion of Crohn's/UC programs including a companion diagnostic. Outcome: AstraZeneca ultimately discontinued the entire brazikumab IBD development programme on 1 June 2023, citing clinical-trial delays (compounded by global events) and a changed competitive landscape dominated by AbbVie's Skyrizi and Lilly's mirikizumab — with no safety concerns reported. The asset recovered in this 2020 divestiture therefore never reached market.
Assessment window: 5yr post-close.