Ipsen acquires Epizyme and with it Tazverik

The transaction was unanimously approved by both Ipsen and Epizyme Boards of Directors and is anticipated to close by the end of the third quarter of 2022, subject to the satisfaction of all closing conditions. Epizyme is a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering transformative therapies against novel epigenetic targets for cancer patients. The primary focus of the acquisition is on the lead medicine, Tazverik (tazemetostat), a first-in-class, chemotherapy-free EZH2 inhibitor, which was granted Accelerated Approval by the FDA in 2020. It is currently indicated for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) whose tumors are positive for an EZH2 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test and who have received at least two prior systemic therapies, and for adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options, as well as for adults and pediatric patients aged 16 years and older with metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma not eligible for complete resection. Tazverik is currently in the Phase III stage of a registrational confirmatory study (SYMPHONY-1) in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (R2) in patients with relapsed/refractory FL who have received at least one prior therapy. Initial results from the Phase III randomized portion of this study are planned to read out in 2026.