A patent dispute that spanned multiple continents and two of the most closely watched rare disease drugs has ended with BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) securing a royalty-bearing settlement from Denmark-based Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND) on sales of navepegritide (Yuviwel), the once-weekly C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) analog that received FDA accelerated approval in February 2026 for achondroplasia in children aged two and older. Under the binding terms announced August 30, Ascendis will pay BioMarin 20% of Yuviwel net sales in the US, retroactive to the first commercial sale, and 18% of net sales in the EU, Brazil, and South Korea through May 2030. The agreement resolves all pending proceedings between the companies. The license covers all current and potential indications for Yuviwel, including achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia.
BioMarin now collects a royalty stream from a commercially launched competitor product — an outcome that extracts significant value from its C-type natriuretic peptide patent estate. Ascendis reported Yuviwel revenue of EUR 8 million (approximately USD 8.8 million) in Q2 2026 alone, its first full quarter following the April 2026 commercial launch.
The dispute centered on BioMarin patents covering CNP analogs and their use in skeletal dysplasias driven by FGFR3 gain-of-function mutations. Ascendis' TransCon platform conjugates a CNP analog to an inert carrier through a hydrolyzable linker, enabling once-weekly dosing compared with the daily subcutaneous administration of vosoritide. By taking a license covering Yuviwel across current and potential indications, Ascendis removes the patent uncertainty surrounding its competing CNP franchise without disrupting commercialization.