Shire Executes Agreement to Divest DERMAGRAFT

Shire

today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which it has sold its DERMAGRAFT assets to Organogenesis Inc. DERMAGRAFT is a living skin substitute indicated for use in the treatment of full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers and is approved for use in the US and Canada. Going forward Organogenesis will assume all financial and management responsibility for DERMAGRAFT. Flemming Ornskov MD, Chief Executive Officer of Shire, commented: "Following the new strategy we outlined during the first half of last year, Shire has had a renewed focus on operational discipline. As such, we have been prioritizing investments that are of the greatest strategic, clinical and commercial value to our Company. DERMAGRAFT no longer meets these criteria and this divestment will allow us to focus our resources on other projects. Due to the recent Medicare ruling regarding reimbursement for DERMAGRAFT, the business environment has changed, and the prospects for the product have reduced significantly. We believe the best path forward for the patients who benefit from DERMAGRAFT is to transfer it to new ownership in order to provide continued care and availability of their treatment."