Sun Pharma concludes acquisition of Checkpoint Therapeutics

Written By : Ruchika Sharma |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2025-05-31T12:27:54+05:30 | Updated On 31 May 2025 12:27 PM IST

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Mumbai: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Checkpoint Therapeutics, Inc., an immunotherapy and targeted oncology company. As part of the acquisition, Sun Pharma acquires UNLOXCYT, an FDA-approved anti-PD-L1 treatment for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

“This acquisition exemplifies Sun Pharma’s commitment to supporting patients and growing its innovative therapies business,” said Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman & Managing Director of Sun Pharma. “By adding UNLOXCYT, we will be able to leverage our leadership in the onco-derm space to help patients access an important treatment option while growing our product portfolio.” Financial Terms Sun Pharma has acquired all outstanding shares of Checkpoint at a price of $4.10 per share in cash, without interest, plus one non-tradable contingent value right (CVR) per share representing the right to receive up to an additional $0.70 in cash, without interest, if certain specified milestones are met, as set out in the terms and conditions of the contingent value rights agreement.

Sun Pharma is a speciality generics company with a presence in specialty, generics and consumer healthcare products. It is a pharmaceutical company in India and is a generic company in the U.S. as well as global emerging markets. Sun Pharma’s global specialty portfolio spans products in dermatology, ophthalmology, and onco-dermatology and accounts for over 18% of company sales. Its manufacturing facilities are spread across six continents.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (“cSCC”) is the second-most common type of skin cancer in the United States, with an estimated annual incidence of approximately 1.8 million cases according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Important risk factors for cSCC include chronic ultraviolet exposure and immunosuppressive conditions. While most cases are localized tumors amenable to curative resection, each year approximately 40,000 cases become advanced and an estimated 15,000 people in the United States die from this disease. In addition to being a life-threatening disease, cSCC causes significant functional morbidities and cosmetic deformities due to tumors that commonly arise in the head and neck region, and that invade blood vessels, nerves and vital organs, such as the eye or ear.

UNLOXCYT (cosibelimab-ipdl) is indicated for the treatment of adults with metastatic cSCC or locally advanced cSCC who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.

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Ruchika Sharma

Ruchika Sharma joined Medical Dialogue as an Correspondent for the Business Section in 2019. She covers all the updates in the Pharmaceutical field, Policy, Insurance, Business Healthcare, Medical News, Health News, Pharma News, Healthcare and Investment. She has completed her B.Com from Delhi University and then pursued postgraduation in M.Com. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751