The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to February 9, 2024

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Editor

M&A was a feature again last week, with two deals raising antitrust concerns. Under a two-part transaction announced by Novo Holdings, which has a major ownership role in Denmark’s diabetes care and obesity giant Novo Nordisk, announced it intends to acquire contract manufacturer Catalent for $16.5 billion, with Novo Nordisk in turn paying $11 billion for three of Catalent’s production sites, aiming to relieve supply shortages for Ozempic and Wegovy. Also, following earlier rumors, Novartis announced that it has made a $2.9 billion bid for Germany’s MorphoSys and its two investigation drugs pelabresib and tulmimetostat, but Incyte did a separate deal to buy rights for MorphoSys’ Monjuvi. On the licensing deal-making front, US clinical-stage biotech Immunome entered into as asset purchase deal with Ayala Pharmaceuticals for a Phase III cancer candidate to treat desmoid tumors. Also, the USA’s BridgeBio Pharma announced a licensing deal with Japan’s Kyowa Kirin for the development of infigratinib that earns it an upfront of 100 million.

Catalent to help Novo Nordisk address Ozempic an Wegovy production demand