Basilea Pharmaceutica - Strong close to FY23 with another milestone payment

Basilea has announced receipt of its first sales-related milestone (for an undisclosed amount) from distribution partner Knight Therapeutics. The payment was triggered by combined Cresemba sales in Latin America exceeding a pre-defined sales threshold. Cresemba continues to see strong market traction for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis, with the drug reporting in-market sales of US$445m in the 12 months ending September 2023 (+22% y-o-y), reflecting a growing market share in value terms (15% globally and 38% in the US among best-in-class antifungals). In FY23 Basilea recorded around CHF30m in milestone payments for lead product Cresemba, including CHF25m from Pfizer in Europe (>CHF355m in upfront and milestone payments received to date). In December 2023, Cresemba was granted a paediatric label expansion in the US, extending market exclusivity to September 2027 (EU decision anticipated in Q124), by which time we estimate sales to peak at c US$700m.