Monday, December 14, 2009
Calixa Therapeutics Acquired By Cubist Pharmaceuticals, In Big Win For Domain
San Diego-based Calixa Therapeutics, a biopharmaceuticals firm developing antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant organisms, has been acquired by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, a Massachusetts-based biotherapeutics firm. The deal was worth $92.5M in cash, with potential milestone payments worth up to $310M. Calixa was co-founded in 2007 by Dr. Eckard Weber and Dr. James Ge, and had acquired development rights to its primary compound from Astellas Pharma. Amount invested in Calixa Therapeutics was not disclosed, however, Domain Associates was the primary backer of the firm. Dr. Weber, partner at Domain Associates, was interim CEO at Calixa.