Pharma & Biotech Mergers & Acquisitions News
Pharmaceutical
Big pharmas are not deterred by China’s increasingly complex business environment. Instead, they are changing strategies to minimize risks while continuing to benefit from China, said speakers at ChinaTrials held last week in Shanghai. 18 November 2024
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Biotechnology
USA-based biopharma groups Synergy Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SGYP) and Callisto Pharmaceuticals (OTCBB: CLSP) entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Callisto will merge into Synergy. 22 July 2012
Biotechnology
Pressures felt in Japan as a result of the country's aging population, drug price revisions and patent expiries have compelled pharmaceutical industry leaders to rationalize their sourcing and distribution, and increase operational efficiency, according to a new report by GBI Research, which states that market competition has led to a monopoly being held by a few wholesalers, who effectively control the country's pharmaceutical distribution market. 19 July 2012
Biotechnology
German biotech firms SYGNIS Pharma AG (Frankfurt: LIOK) and GENETRIX have signed a binding term sheet under which the companies propose to combine the GENETRIX' DNA sequencing subsidiary X-Pol Biotech and SYGNIS, with the goal of developing and marketing X-Pol Biotech's DNA sequencing technologies and products. 19 July 2012
Biotechnology
Confirming weekend rumors (The Pharma Letter July 16), UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) yesterday confirmed it has managed to do a deal with US partner Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) to acquire the company by increasing its hostile tender offer from $13 to $14.25 per share in cash. 17 July 2012
Biotechnology
Swiss biotechnology investment fund BB Biotech (SIX: BION) has confirmed that Vontobel Group has made a proposal to restructure BB Biotech from its current status as a listed investment company into an unlisted investment fund. Vontobel said the offer to take the firm private is a 31.7% premium to the 81.95 Swiss francs BB Biotech share price on July 12. 16 July 2012
Biotechnology
UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and US partner Theravance (Nasdaq: THRX) announced on Friday that they had submitted regulatory applications in the USA and European Union for the once-daily investigational medicine fluticasone furoate and vilanterol (FF/VI) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a regulatory application for asthma in the European Union. 16 July 2012
Biotechnology
Spanish health care group Grifols (GRLS: MC), the world's third largest plasma product manufacturer, has acquired 40% of the equity of Catalan biotechnology firm VCN Biosciences, dedicated to the R&D of new therapeutic approaches for tumors for which there is no effective treatment. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 16 July 2012
Biotechnology
US biotech firm Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SPPI) said late Friday that it has again extended tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Allos Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ALTH; The Pharma Letter April 10) for $1.82 per share in cash (around $206 million in total), plus one contingent value right, which entitles Allos stockholders to an additional payment of $0.11 per share in cash if certain European regulatory approval and commercialization milestones for lymphoma drug Folotyn (pralatrexate injection), a folate analog metabolic inhibitor, are achieved. 9 July 2012
Biotechnology
Bilthoven Biologicals, a Dutch manufacturer of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, said this week that it has been acquired by Serum Institute of India, part of the Poonawalla Group and one of the largest vaccine producers in the world. 6 July 2012
Biotechnology
Having rejected a media reported $22 a share offer from the company earlier this year, US biotech firm Amylin (Nasdaq: AMLN) has now accepted a cash $31 per share takeover bid from the same drug major, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: MBY), it was announced late last Friday. B-MS has been seeking to enhance its product portfolio to replace its top selling drug, Plavix (clopidogrel; co-marketing with originator France's Sanofi), which is now facing generic competition. 2 July 2012
Biotechnology
Continuing its attempts to gain control of its development partner Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI), UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) on Friday extended its original $13 a share - a total of around $2.6 billion - tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of HGS to July 20, having recently pushed the date back to June 29. 2 July 2012
Biotechnology
Theradiag, (previously Biomedical Diagnostics), a Paris, France-based theranostics and in vitro diagnostics company focused on autoimmune disease, says that it is acquiring Prestizia, a biotechnology company that is developing a microRNA1 technology. Financial terms were not disclosed. 28 June 2012
Biotechnology
German drug major Merck KGaA's (MRK: DE) Merck Serono division and Israel-based Compugen (Nasdaq: CGEN) have established Neviah Genomics, a novel start-up company focused on the discovery and development of novel biomarkers for the prediction of drug-induced toxicity. 25 June 2012
Biotechnology
Israeli biopharma firm XTL Biopharmaceuticals (TASE:XTL) says it will acquire fellow Israel-based Kitov Pharmaceuticals in a share and cash milestone payments deal worth up to $48 million. 21 June 2012
Biotechnology
In the latest update on UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline's (LSE: GSK) hostile takeover attempts for Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI), the US biotech firm on Friday sent a letter to GSK once again inviting the company to participate in the ongoing process according to the same procedures previously established and to provide, by no later than July 16, 2012, GSK's final bid terms, including a response to a draft agreement which will be provided to all interested bidders. The letter specifically noted that the HGS board of directors has previously rejected $13.00 per share as inadequate. 18 June 2012
Biotechnology
Netherland-based biotech company Pharming Group (NYSE Euronext: PHARM) yesterday revealed that it is reviewing its strategic options and has engaged Roth Capital Partners and Nomura Code to assist it in exploring alternatives and provides an update on Study 1310 for Ruconest (INN conestat alfa), a recombinant version of the human protein C1 inhibitor (C1INH). 13 June 2012
Biotechnology
In the continuing saga of its hostile takeover bid for its partner on lupus drug Benlysta (belimumab), UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK) has extended its tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) for US$13.00 per share in cash to 5:00 pm New York City time on June 29, 2012. The tender offer was previously scheduled to expire at the end of the day on June 7, at which time around 474,029 shares (including 24,856 shares subject to guarantees of delivery) - or around 0.2% - had been tendered and not withdrawn, pursuant to the offer. 10 June 2012
Biotechnology
UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) recently announced that the waiting period with respect to its tender offer for the acquisition of the outstanding shares of Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI) has expired under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act of 1976 (HSR Act). Meanwhile, Human Genome's board of directors continued to advise its stockholders against GSK's tender offer. 5 June 2012
Biotechnology
US drugmaker Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) says it has entered into an agreement with Austrian biotech firm Nabriva Therapeutics for the development of Nabriva's lead product candidate, the novel antibacterial agent BC-3781. 4 June 2012
Biotechnology
French biotechnology firm NicOx (NYSE Euronext Paris: COX) said last Friday that its board of directors has unanimously decided at its May 31 meeting not to exercise the company's option to acquire the remaining 88.2% of equity of privately-held UK ophthalmology company Altacor. 4 June 2012
Biotechnology
Aizen Therapeutics, an AI-driven biotech headquartered in San Diego, has officially launched from stealth mode, introducing its drug discovery platform, DaX. 21 November 2024
Biotechnology
Massachusetts, USA-based firm VBI Vaccines has initiated a nationwide voluntary recall of PreHevbrio (hepatitis B vaccine), as it proceeds with bankruptcy and the shutdown of its operations. 19 November 2024
Biotechnology
Last week saw US pharma major AbbVie release disappointing Phase II trial results on its emraclidine in schizophrenia, which benefited Bristol Myers Squibb. Also on the research front, Germany’s Merck KGaA and Abbisko’s pimicotinib showed positive results in tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). M&A news saw German BioNTech punting $800 million upfront to acquire China based oncology focused Biotheus. Also of note, US drugmaker Halozyme Therapeutics made an unsolicited takeover bid for Evotec, valuing the German firm, at around 2 billion euros. 17 November 2024
Biotechnology
Shares of German drug discovery company Evotec leapt 20% to 10.33 euros this morning on the revelation that the USA’s Halozyme Therapeutics has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire Evotec for 11.00 euros per share in cash, implying a fully-diluted equity value of around 2.0 billion euros ($2.12 billion). 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
BeiGene has announced plans to rebrand as BeOne Medicines, a move the cancer specialist says reflects its commitment to fighting cancer through collaboration. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Although it is seeing a downturn in sales and profits, German biotech BioNTech is continuing to acquire assets with the cash pile it made through the covid pandemic, notably iis Comirnaty vaccine that was developed with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). 13 November 2024
Biotechnology
Trace Neuroscience, a newly launched biopharma based in San Francisco, aims to advance treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, starting with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 12 November 2024
Biotechnology
AlloVir has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with biopharma company Kalaris Therapeutics. 8 November 2024
Biotechnology
California, USA-based biotech Nektar Therapeutics’ shares closed up more than 8% at $1.33 yesterday after it announced the sale of its only manufacturing facility. 5 November 2024
Biotechnology
Maryland, USA–based glycobiology specialist GlycoMimetics has entered into an acquisition agreement with Crescent Biopharma, a privately held biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of oncology therapeutics designed to treat solid tumors. 30 October 2024
Biotechnology
German drugmaker Dr Falk Pharma GmbH today announced completion of the acquisition of Kynos Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel KMO inhibitors for acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. 29 October 2024
Biotechnology
US Pharma major AbbVie has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Aliada Therapeutics, a biotech advancing therapies using a novel blood-brain barrier (BBB)-crossing technology to address challenging central nervous system (CNS) diseases. 29 October 2024
Biotechnology
Ottimo Pharma, a biotech founded by Medicxi in 2020, has emerged from stealth mode with an executive team packed with prominent industry leaders. 28 October 2024
Biotechnology
Last week Vertex Pharmaceuticals released positive Phase III results for its suzetrigine for moderate-to-severed pain. Belgium’s UCB revealed that Swiss pharma giant Roche was terminating its collaboration on the Alzheimer’s candidate bepranemab. The UK’s health technology assessor the Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) declined to recommend a second Alzheimer’s treatment, this time Eli Lilly’s Kisunla. Also of note, Lyell Immunopharma announced its planned acquisition of ImmPACT Bio and reprioritization of its own clinical pipeline. 27 October 2024
Biotechnology
California, USA-based Lyell Immunopharma (Nasdaq: LYEL) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held US CAR-T company ImmPACT Bio. 26 October 2024
Biotechnology
Mumbai-based Mankind Pharma has completed its acquisition of Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), adding to its portfolio in the women’s health and fertility market. 24 October 2024
Biotechnology
Ocuphire Pharma has announced its acquisition of Opus Genetics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on treating inherited retinal diseases. 24 October 2024
Biotechnology
Connecticut, USA-based Modifi Biosciences today announced that the company has been acquired by pharma giant Merck & Co 23 October 2024
Biotechnology
Taiwan-based REGiMMUNE, a biopharma creating immunotherapies through the power of regulatory T cells (Tregs), and France-based Kiji Therapeutics, a specialist in induced pluripotent stem cells-mesenchymal stem cells (IPSC-MSC) engineered cell therapies for inflammatory diseases, are to merge. 18 October 2024
Biotechnology
Danish CNS specialist Lundbeck today revealed that it has reached to acquire Longboard Pharmaceuticals. 15 October 2024
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