Synageva
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biopharmaceuticals |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Sanj K. Patel |
| Headquarters | Lexington, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Kanuma (sebelipase alfa), SBC-103, SBC-105 |
| Parent | Alexion Pharmaceuticals |
Synageva BioPharma Corp. was a biopharmaceutical firm publicly traded and based in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company specialized in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies addressing rare diseases with significant unmet medical requirements. It maintained manufacturing and research laboratories in Massachusetts and Georgia, as well as offices worldwide.
History
The founding of Synageva traces back to early 2008 when Sanj K. Patel, previously affiliated with Genzyme Corporation, was invited by Baker Bros. Investments to lead the privately held Avigenics, Inc., located in Athens, Georgia. After joining in June 2008, Patel shifted the company's focus away from bio-similar drug development utilizing its proprietary egg white (EW) protein production platform toward creating treatments for severe rare disorders. This platform uses recombinant DNA technology to express proteins within egg whites through a transgenic Gallus system, producing proteins with specific glycan modifications such as mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) glycans that are essential for targeting relevant cellular sites.
With a skilled leadership team, Synageva went public on NASDAQ in November 2011 by completing a reverse merger with Trimeris, Inc., subsequently moving its corporate headquarters to Lexington.
On May 6, 2015, Alexion Pharmaceuticals () announced its agreement to acquire Synageva at $230 per share. The transaction, valued at roughly $8.4 billion net of cash (approximately $9.1 billion overall), received unanimous approval from both companies’ Boards and marked one of the highest premiums paid for a company exceeding $5 billion since 1995.
Products
In July 2008, Sanj K. Patel launched Synageva’s flagship program, Kanuma® (sebelipase alfa), aimed at treating lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL Deficiency), a rare genetic disorder that causes lipid buildup and serious damage to multiple organs. Kanuma is a recombinant enzyme replacement therapy specifically designed for LAL Deficiency patients of all ages, diagnosable through a straightforward blood test.
Kanuma was granted orphan drug status by regulatory agencies including the FDA, EMA, and Japanese authorities. It also received FDA fast track and Breakthrough Therapy designations for infantile forms of the disease. The FDA accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) under Priority Review with a target decision date set for September 8, 2015. Meanwhile, the EMA validated the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) and approved an accelerated assessment.
Synageva’s development pipeline featured protein-based therapeutics targeting rare diseases lacking effective treatments. Its second pioneering program, SBC-103, was undergoing Phase 1/2 clinical trials for MPS IIIB, while SBC-105—an enzyme replacement candidate for calcification-related disorders—was in preclinical stages. Additional initiatives utilized the company’s EW production technology to create potentially enhanced therapies for conditions such as Hunter syndrome, Fabry disease, and Pompe disease, supported by encouraging preclinical results demonstrating enzyme expression levels and activity.