Directors dealings: Hikma chief dips back in after gout victory

Hikma Pharmaceuticals chief executive Said Darwazah has further boosted his stake in the company with a huge £3.3m purchase of shares.

Darwazah, whose father set up Hikma in 1978, showed his confidence in the company with a purchase of 150,000 shares at a price of 2,200p, almost a fortnight after he spent £1.52m on 70,000 shares.

He now owns 13.3m shares, of 5.56% of the total.

Drwazah's deals come a few weeks after a US court ruled in favour of Hikma and its wholly-owned US subsidiary West-Ward Pharmaceutical by dismissing claims made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals for alleged infringement of patents covering methods of use of Takeda's colchicine product, Colcrys, to treat gout.

Hikma has been marketing its own colchicine product under the brand name Mitigare since January 2015 and selling an authorised generic.

Gout, known as the 'disease of kings' as it afflicted many monarchs, including Henry VIII, is making a painful resurgence in the UK due to growing levels obesity and heavy drinking.

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Amount purchased: 150,000 @ 2,200.00p
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