Cyprium Therapeutics sells rare disease priority review voucher for $205 million
Cyprium Therapeutics, a majority-owned subsidiary of Fortress Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO), completed the sale of its Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher for $205 million in gross proceeds, according to a company statement.
The voucher was issued following FDA approval of ZYCUBO (copper histidinate) on January 12, 2026, for treating Menkes disease in pediatric patients. Sentynl Therapeutics had assumed development and commercialization responsibilities for the drug from Cyprium in December 2023, with the voucher immediately transferred to Cyprium upon FDA approval.
Fortress Biotech, as the majority shareholder, expects to receive over $100 million from the transaction proceeds. The company stated it plans to use the funds for business development investments and advancing its portfolio.
Cyprium remains entitled to tiered royalties on ZYCUBO net sales and up to approximately $128 million in aggregate sales milestones from Sentynl. The company must pay 20% of the voucher sale proceeds to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The Priority Review Voucher allows pharmaceutical companies to receive expedited FDA review of a future drug application, typically reducing review time from standard timelines. These vouchers are awarded for developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases and can be sold to other companies.
Fortress Biotech Chairman and CEO Lindsay Rosenwald described the sale as transformational for both companies. The parent company has received three FDA approvals in the past 15 months for products including Emrosi, UNLOXCYT, and ZYCUBO, and sold former subsidiary Checkpoint Therapeutics to Sun Pharma.
