ESTEVE has entered into an agreement with Sanofi to acquire Caprelsa® (vandetanib) rights in more than 50 countries, a treatment that is used in adults and children above 5 years of age to treat aggressive and symptomatic medullary thyroid cancer¹.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a rare type of cancer that starts in the cells in the thyroid gland that produce the hormone calcitonin. It is a 'protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor' that blocks the activity of enzymes known as tyrosine kinases. Consequently, the medicine reduces the blood supply to the cancer cells, slowing down the cancer's growth¹.

"Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that can produce calcitonin from parafollicular cells. The treatment of resectable disease is surgery². When the disease is not technically resectable, this treatment provides a long-lasting slowdown of disease progression. We at ESTEVE are proud to join the fighting effort of the patients diagnosed with this carcinoma and their healthcare professionals, with the ambition to continue improving patient's health and lives", confirms José María Giménez-Arnau, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer of ESTEVE.

In April 2024, ESTEVE acquired a business specialized in rare and ultra-rare diseases in the areas of endocrinology and onco-endocrinology, as a step forward towards becoming a highly specialized company. This acquisition added three new medicines to its portfolio addressing endogenous Cushing's syndrome and Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Furthermore, in April 2025, ESTEVE secured the license for a biologic treatment indicated for children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years with severe primary insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) deficiency³. Building on this, the company last month, the company secured an adjuvant therapy considered the standard of care for high-grade, resectable, non-metastatic osteosarcoma in patients between 2 and 30 years of age⁴.

"We are proud to announce that we are increasing our portfolio of highly specialized therapies. Caprelsa® will help us improve the lives of patients all around the world. This is a step forward in ESTEVE's international journey focused on highly specialized treatments for high unmet medical needs of patients", concludes Jacob Tolstrup, Chief Commercial Officer of ESTEVE.

[The completion of the transaction is subject to obtaining customary regulatory clearances].



References
1. Caprelsa | European Medicines Agency (EMA)
2. Medullary Thyroid Cancer | American Thyroid Association
3. Increlex | European Medicines Agency (EMA)
4. Mepact I European Medicines Agency (EMA)