BioMarin Pharmaceutical agreed to pay $275 million upfront to acquire Alesta Therapeutics, gaining an experimental drug for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP) in an effort to expand into larger rare disease markets. The agreement, announced Tuesday, also includes up to $215 million in development and regulatory milestones. At the centre of the transaction is ALE1, an orally active, small molecule for the potential treatment of HPP, a rare genetic bone disease caused by mutations in the ALPL gene. The drug is currently being evaluated in an ongoing Phase I/IIa trial, with BioMarin noting that if approved, it would be the first oral therapy approach that targets the central disease metabolite, inorganic pyrophosphate, with the potential to impact both skeletal and broader manifestations of HPP through systemic correction of disease biology."ALE1 is a strong strategic fit for BioMarin, bringing a potential oral alternative to the injectable therapies available today for people living with HPP," said Alexander Hardy, the drugmaker's CEO. The company will be hoping that the Alesta purchase pans out better than last year's $270-million takeout of Inozyme Pharma, which focused on BMN 401, a late-stage candidate for ENPP1 deficiency, a rare genetic condition. However, earlier this month, BioMarin disclosed that it will stop work on the subcutaneous enzyme replacement therapy following mixed results from the ENERGY 3 study.BioMarin said that ALE1 will become part of its skeletal conditions business unit, one of three divisions that the company is hoping will help it reach its target of $4 billion in annual revenue by 2027."This is exactly the kind of opportunity to address a significant unmet need that lets us compete in larger rare disease markets... We plan to continue to seek these kinds of opportunities as we focus on clinical-stage innovation to drive durable growth for BioMarin," Hardy added.The Alesta transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close this quarter. Prior to this, Alesta plans to spin out all non-ALE1 assets into a new entity.