Drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries said it has concluded its Sun Employee Stock Option Plan 2015, as obligations under it had been fulfilled and closed the Trust set up for the purpose.

The Sun Pharma ESOP Trust, originally known as the Ranbaxy ESOP Trust , held ESOPs of employees formerly with Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. Sun had acquired Ranbaxy in a $4-billion transaction (2014) and the proposal was completed in March 2015. Now that their ESOPs had been settled, the Trust has been closed, an industry-insider familiar with the development said. While Ranbaxy had a policy of ESOPs, the acquiring company Sun did not have one, the industry-hand added.

“The ESOP 2015 has been closed as confirmed vide Settlor’s Board of Directors’ resolution dated November 01, 2023 approving the termination of ESOP 2015 along with approval for winding-up of the Trust pursuant to Sub-clause 15.3 of the Original Trust Deed as the Trust’s object is completely fulfilled. Further, as on date, there are no assets and liabilities with the Trust,” Sun Pharma told the stock exchange.

Licensing pact

In a separate development, Sun Pharma said, it had entered into a licensing agreement with Aclaris Therapeutics Inc, a clinical-stage bio-pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drugs for immuno-inflammatory diseases.

Aclaris had given Sun Pharma exclusive rights under certain patents for the use of deuruxolitinib, Sun Pharma’s JAK inhibitor, or other isotopic forms of ruxolitinib, to treat alopecia areata or androgenetic alopecia. The agreement included an upfront payment of $15 million, regulatory and commercial milestones, and royalties, Sun said.

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