Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

EyeTech Pharmaceuticals Inc. / Gilead Sciences Inc. (NX-1838 license)

2000 · Licensing/Option · $32M · Complete

CALLED IT — OFF BY 20
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The coverage arc

Mar 30, 2000 Gilead Sciences Bullish

EyeTech is building a strong foundation for success. Their work in basic research on the causes of eye disease and clinical testing of new ophthalmic drugs…

Jan 15, 2005 Review of Ophthalmology Bullish

Review of Ophthalmology covered the FDA approval of Macugen by EyeTech/Pfizer for all wet AMD subtypes, framing it as a paradigm shift toward pharmacologic…

Jan 01, 2016 Wikipedia (citing Nature Reviews Drug Discovery) Bullish

Pegaptanib received FDA approval December 2004 as the first anti-angiogenic ophthalmic therapy and first aptamer therapeutic ever approved; Pfizer marketed…

Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.

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Gilead exclusively licensed NX-1838 (anti-VEGF aptamer) to EyeTech for AMD: $7M upfront and up to $25M development milestones to Gilead. NX-1838 became pegaptanib (Macugen), approved by FDA in 2004 — first anti-VEGF for wet AMD. Strategically notable below $250M threshold; included for historical importance.

Did it work? Outcome assessment

Strategic verdict
Failed to Achieve
Financial impact
Dilutive
Pipeline outcome
Mixed

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
EyeTech Pharmaceuticals Inc. / Gilead Sciences Inc. (NX-1838 license) (this deal)2000$32M47
Johnson & Johnson / Abbott Medical Optics2003$4.3B70
Johnson & Johnson / Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Medical Optics)2016$4.3B66
Merck & Co. Inc. / EyeBio Ltd.2024$3.0B61
Viatris / Oyster Point Pharma, Inc.2022$299M58
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. / Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd.202651
Astellas Pharma Inc. / Ocata Therapeutics, Inc.2015$379M41

Compare all 7 side-by-side →

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