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
The biotechnology industry was adversely affected by the global financial crisis, with several leading biotechnology companies in the USA and Europe reporting fall in revenues amid restricted capital inflows, and project cancellations and delays, notes a new report from Global Industry Analysts Inc (GIA), which nevertheless forecasts that the market will grow to exceed a value of $320 billion by 2015. 25 January 2012
Biotechnology
USA-based Constellation Pharmaceuticals says that it has entered into a major strategic agreement with Genentech, a subsidiary of Swiss drug major Roche Group (ROG: SIX), to launch a broad collaboration based on the science of epigenetics and chromatin biology to discover and develop innovative treatments for cancer and other serious diseases. 18 January 2012
Biotechnology
Although there were few multi-billion dollar deals, 2011 turned into a bumper year for the number of merger and acquisition deals for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and generic drugmakers with a total of 129 M&A announcements recorded by The Pharma Letter (see full table attached), compared with 117 in 2010, which was then a record number 11 January 2012
Biotechnology
Details for the 129 M&A announcements recorded by The Pharma Letter are provided in the full table 11 January 2012
Biotechnology
Russia's RusNano (Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies) has signed an agreement with Russian biotechnology company Epidbiomed to establish a joint venture for the production of drugs with nano particles of porous silicon and other nanomaterials. 9 January 2012
Biotechnology
Texas, USA-based venture capital firm Essex Woodlands has entered into a strategic partnership with the UK's medical devices giant Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN) to fund the spinout of the latter's Biologics and Clinical Therapies division and develop a leading global orthopedic biologics company, Bioventus. The transaction is expected to be completed in the next several months. 5 January 2012
Biotechnology
As 2011 drew to a close, Steven Burrill, chief executive of global life sciences financial services firm Burrill & Co, issued his annual predictions for the life sciences in the new year, saying companies will still face challenges raising money in 2012 as the Eurozone debt crisis and election year politics to continue to fuel volatility in financial markets. But overall, he expects the life sciences sector to outperform the major market indices in 2012 as they have in 2011 as measured by the Burrill Biotech Select Index. 3 January 2012
Biotechnology
Switzerland-based Actelion (SIX: ATLN), Europe's biggest biotech company, says that it has decided not to exercise its option to acquire the privately held French company Trophos SA, following disappointing pivotal Phase III clinical trial results with the latter's lead investigational drug olesoxime in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an orphan disease also known as Lou Gehrig's. 13 December 2011
Biotechnology
Economic and political worries in Europe and the USA fuelled another month of wild gyrations in the stock market, but biotech companies scored some notable victories with encouraging clinical developments, three drug approvals, two initial public offerings (IPOs), and news that Gilead Sciences would buy Pharmasset for $11 billion, notes global life sciences financial services firm Burrill & Co. 4 December 2011
Biotechnology
In its biggest M&D deal to date, Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) says it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire fellow USA-biotech company Pharmasset (Nasdaq: VRUS) for around $11 billion, or $137 per share, in cash. The transaction has been unanimously approved by Pharmasset's board of directors. 22 November 2011
Biotechnology
Acquisitive Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: VRX and TSX: VRX) has signed an agreement to buy Australia-based iNova, a privately-held biotechnology company, from current owners, private equity firms Archer Capital and Ironbridge and other minority management shareholders. 22 November 2011
Biotechnology
Regenerative medicines firm Athersys (Nasdaq: ATHX) says that Canada's Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (TSX: ANP) has pulled out of its co-development of cell therapy in the cardiovascular field. As a result of the mutual termination, Athersys says it has regained all rights in its MultiStem cardiovascular program, allowing it greater flexibility in clinical development and the opportunity to pursue new business collaborations. 15 November 2011
Biotechnology
In order to achieve better allocation of resources and competences, Swedish biotech firm Karo Bio (STO: KARO) is preparing to spin off the company's preclinical activities. This function will therefore be transferred into a subsidiary that is intended to become autonomous in operations as well as by ownership. It is proposed that the spun-out subsidiary will assume the name Karo Bio name. 26 October 2011
Biotechnology
WuXi PharmaTech (NYSE: WX) says it has acquired MedKey Med-Tech Development and Jiecheng Med-Tech Development, two related contract clinical research services companies based in Shanghai, China. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 25 October 2011
Biotechnology
Florida, USA-based Rainbow Coral (OTCQB: RBCC) last week announced its intention to move into the discovery of new medicines with the formation of a new division - Rainbow BioSciences - to pursue new opportunities in the burgeoning global biotechnology sector. 23 October 2011
Biotechnology
Shares of the UK's biggest pharmaceuticals group, GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) amid revived speculation that the firm's chief executive, Andrew Witty, could be about to launch a $25 a share cash offer for 'bombed-out' USA-based Human Genome Sciences (Nasdaq: HGSI), which currently trades in the USA at around $11 a share, well down from its 52-week high of $30, speculates Geoff Foster writing in the Daily Mail. 18 October 2011
Biotechnology
Scotland-based Angel Biotechnology (ABH: LON) saw its shares leap 20% to 0.28 pence on Monday after it announced the formation of a joint venture with Russian customer Materia Medica Holdings, which could be worth 15 million ($23.7 million). 18 October 2011
Biotechnology
Finland-based Biotie Therapies' (OMX: BTH1V) proposed c 45 million-euro all-stock merger with Italian biotech company Newron Pharmaceuticals (SIX: NWRN) will strengthen its central nervous system (CNS) franchise, adding a strategic partner and a number of assets to its pipeline (The Pharma Letter September 27). 16 October 2011
Biotechnology
The fight in the USA over the raising of the debt ceiling and the debt crisis in Europe have fueled turmoil in the stock market that has taken a toll on the performance of biotech stocks, slamming the brakes on a solid year of financing for the sector, reports life sciences-focussed financial services company Burrill & Co. 6 October 2011
Biotechnology
USA-based contact research organization Pharmaceutical Product Development (Nasdaq: PPDI) says it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.9 billion, after which PPD will be a private company. 4 October 2011
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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