While all eyes were on Shire's (SHP) mammoth acquisition of Baxalta last year, many overlooked the potential from the group's other smaller acquisitions. In January 2016 it bought rare disease group Dyax for $5.9bn (£4.5bn), largely to get its hands on hereditary angioedema drug lanadelumab.
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Now, the risk Shire took with that acquisition has paid off, as lanadelumab has achieved positive results in a final-phase trial. The drug decreased the prevalence of swelling - the main symptom of angioedema - in a population of 125 patients aged 12 or above. Shire now plans to submit the drug for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration and, given its fast-track designation, expects to launch by mid-2018.
