• 
  Attractive, precision oncology therapy with long patent duration added to portfolio
  
• 
  Blueprint Medicines to receive $175 million upfront and $165 million in potential milestone payments
  

NEW YORK, June 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) today announced that it has acquired an ex-U.S. royalty interest in Gavreto (pralsetinib) from Blueprint Medicines (Nasdaq: BPMC) for up to $340 million, consisting of $175 million upfront and up to $165 million in potential sales-based milestones.

Gavreto, marketed by Roche in certain markets outside the United States and Greater China, is a once-daily rearranged during transfection (RET) targeted therapy approved in Europe in November 2021 for the treatment of certain RET-altered non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Additionally, Gavreto has been submitted for marketing approval for thyroid cancers in Europe with a decision expected in the second half of 2022.

RET activating fusions and mutations are key molecular drivers in multiple cancers and can be identified using diagnostic tests, including next-generation sequencing. RET fusions are implicated in approximately 1% to 2% of patients with NSCLC, 10% to 20% of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and 90% of patients with advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

“We are pleased to partner with Blueprint and help advance their innovative precision therapy pipeline for the benefit of patients worldwide,” said Pablo Legorreta, Royalty Pharma’s founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Precision therapies continue to transform the treatment paradigm in oncology and acquiring a royalty on Gavreto aligns with our strategy of investing in differentiated therapies that address unmet medical needs. Gavreto has shown consistent outcomes with deep and durable responses across several RET-altered cancers, and we look forward to its clinical development in additional tumor types and earlier-stage patients.”

“We are thrilled to establish this partnership with Royalty Pharma, a leader in funding innovation,” said Kate Haviland, Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Medicines. “Royalty Pharma is known to invest in transformative medicines, and their investment in Gavreto reinforces our confidence in its future. Further, with a strengthened balance sheet, we can accelerate our strategic plans by expanding clinical development across our pipeline of precision medicines and pursuing important business development opportunities.”

Blueprint was entitled to a tiered royalty of high-teens to mid-twenties on Gavreto annual sales outside the United States, excluding China, through a 2020 global collaboration with Roche. Royalty Pharma is purchasing the ex-U.S. royalty payable by Roche through its full term, which is estimated to be through 2036 to 2040.

Advisors

Gibson Dunn, Maiwald and Kawaguti acted as legal advisors to Royalty Pharma.

About Royalty Pharma

Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry, collaborating with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and non-for-profits through small and mid-cap biotechnology companies to leading global pharmaceutical companies. Royalty Pharma has assembled a portfolio of royalties which entitles it to payments based directly on the top-line sales of many of the industry’s leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry both directly and indirectly – directly when it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties, and indirectly when it acquires existing royalties from the original innovators. Royalty Pharma’s current portfolio includes royalties on around 35 commercial products, including AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson’s Imbruvica, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, Astellas’ and Pfizer’s Xtandi, Biogen’s Tysabri, Gilead’s Trodelvy, Novartis’ Promacta, Vertex’s Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko and Trikafta, and 10 development-stage therapies.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information set forth herein does not purport to be complete or to contain all of the information you may desire. Statements contained herein are made as of the date of this document unless stated otherwise, and neither the delivery of this document at any time, nor any sale of securities, shall under any circumstances create an implication that the information contained herein is correct as of any time after such date or that information will be updated or revised to reflect information that subsequently becomes available or changes occurring after the date hereof. This document contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements that express the company’s opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results, in contrast with statements that reflect historical facts. Examples include discussion of Royalty Pharma’s strategies, financing plans, growth opportunities and market growth. In some cases, you can identify such forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could” or “should,” the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the company. However, these forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of Royalty Pharma’s performance, and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks, uncertainties and other variable circumstances, and other factors. Such risks and uncertainties may cause the statements to be inaccurate and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Many of these risks are outside of Royalty Pharma’s control and could cause its actual results to differ materially from those it thought would occur. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date hereof. Royalty Pharma does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law. Certain information contained in this document relates to or is based on studies, publications, surveys and other data obtained from third-party sources and Royalty Pharma’s own internal estimates and research. While Royalty Pharma believes these third-party sources to be reliable as of the date of this document, it has not independently verified, and makes no representation as to the adequacy, fairness, accuracy or completeness of, any information obtained from third-party sources. In addition, all of the market data included in this document involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and there can be no guarantee as to the accuracy or reliability of such assumptions. Finally, while the company believes its own internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any independent source. For further information, please reference Royalty Pharma’s reports and documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Royalty Pharma Investor Relations and Communications:

+1 (212) 883-6772

[email protected]