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
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
Biotechnology
US biotech firm Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SPPI) saw its shares plunge as much as 14%, before closing down 7.9% at $11.25 last Thursday, after announcing disappointing results for its bladder-cancer drug candidate apaziquone, as well as revealing that it had made a takeover bid for fellow USA-based rival Allos Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ALTH). Shares of Allos rose 27% to $1.81 on the news. 10 April 2012
Biotechnology
Billionaire US investor Carl Icahn has sent a blistering open letter to the board of US biotech company Amylin (Nasdaq: AMLN), castigating it for not revealing that it had received - and rejected - a $22 a share takeover offer from drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), news of which only came to light after a leak to the press (The Pharma Letter March 29). 5 April 2012
Biotechnology
A host of new initiatives focused on funding translational research and early-stage companies brought together the public and private sector, particularly with the goal of building life sciences centers in specific locations. In all, US life sciences focussed investment services firm Burrill & Co identified more than $2.6 billion in expected funding through nine initiatives announced since the end of February. 2 April 2012
Biotechnology
Japanese digital camera and medical equipment conglomerate Fujifilm and drugmaker Kyowa Hakko Kirin have commenced business operations of their joint venture Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics for the development, manufacturing and sales of biosimilars. 29 March 2012
Biotechnology
There was a plethora of merger and acquisition news coming out yesterday and this morning, first of which is that Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) has done a U-turn, announcing an increased offer price for price for all outstanding shares of Illumina (Nasdaq: ILMN) to $ 51.00 a share in cash from $44.50 a share ($5.7 billion in total). All other terms and conditions of the tender offer remain unchanged. 29 March 2012
Biotechnology
New York. USA-based biotech company Islet Sciences (OTC.BB: ISLT),said Friday that it has closed its previously-announced stock acquisition of DiaKine Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing new, proprietary drugs for unmet medical needs in diabetes and complications related to diabetes. 26 March 2012
Biotechnology
Privately-held US company Anaphore says it has acquired Shanghai, China-based RuiYi, bringing the company a powerful biologics drug discovery platform focused on the discovery and development of biologic therapies targeting G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). 23 March 2012
Biotechnology
French biotechnology firm NicOx (Euronext Paris: COX) has entered into an agreement to acquire 11.8% of the shares of Altacor, a privately-held UK ophthalmology company, and entered into an exclusive option accord to acquire the remaining shares of Altacor, marking the first step in its strategic plan to become a late-stage development and commercial ophthalmology company. 22 March 2012
Biotechnology
Spanish plasma products specialist Grifols (MCE: GRF) has acquired 51% of the equity of Zaragoza, Spain-based company Araclon Biotech, ensuring the viability of its projects and the future of the organization. No financial terms of the accord were disclosed. 19 March 2012
Biotechnology
In a third acquisition deal announced so far this year, Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (TSX: VRX) said yesterday that it has acquired a 19.9% minority equity investment in Pele Nova Biotecnologia SA, a Brazilian research company focused on tissue regeneration. 12 March 2012
Biotechnology
Global biotech leader Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) says that all conditions to the closing of the tender offer via a wholly owned subsidiary to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of US / German biotech firm Micromet (Nasdaq: MITI) for $11.00 per share (or around $1.16 billion in total; The Pharma Letter January 27) in cash have been satisfied. 4 March 2012
Biotechnology
Italian biopharmaceutical firm Dompe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Anabasis Srl, a privately held Italian research and development biopharmaceutical company, focused on ocular diseases, in which it bought a 49% stake in January 2011. Financial terms of the accord include an immediate upfront and subsequent milestone payments related to the development and commercialization of nerve growth factor (NGF) in pathological conditions. Further details were not disclosed. 1 March 2012
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma (4506: JP) says it has reached an agreement for the acquisition of privately-held US biotech firm Boston Biomedical Inc, headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. 1 March 2012
Biotechnology
Netherlands-based human gene based therapies developer Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (Euronext: AMT) says its board of directors is recommending a substantial corporate restructuring and financing transaction which, if approved by shareholders, will result in the assets and certain liabilities being acquired by a newly-formed private company, uniQure BV, and the AMT legal entity being liquidated and delisted. 19 February 2012
Biotechnology
There was a double-dose of bad news for Sweden's Karo Bio (STO: KARO), which this week said it would discontinue the development program for its late-stage cholesterol lowerer eprotirome after an animal study has demonstrated unwanted effects following long-term exposure. 15 February 2012
Biotechnology
S biotech firm Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Stromedix, a privately-held biotechnology company focused on innovative therapies for fibrosis and organ failure, for a possbile consideration of over $560 million. 15 February 2012
Biotechnology
Acquisitive Canadian drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (TSX: VRX) says that it has agreed to acquire Eyetech, a privately-owned ophthalmic biotechnology company for an undisclosed consideration. The news comes hot on the heels of Valeant abandoning its sweetened $327 million hostile bid for US ophthalmic and allergy specialist ISTA Pharmaceuticals (The Pharma Letter January 31, 2012). 14 February 2012
Biotechnology
Swiss drug major Roche's hostile $5.7 billion bid for the tools and sequencing systems company Illumina reflected strong deal-making activity in the life sciences in January. In total, not including Roche's bid, more than $10 billion in global partnering and M&A deals were announced during the first month of the year, notes the latest report from Burrill & Co, a diversified USA-based global financial services firm focused on the life sciences industry. 2 February 2012
Biotechnology
Adding to the strong start this year for M&A activity in the Pharma/Biotech sector, USA-based Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN), the world's largest independent biotechnology company, says it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Micromet (Nasdaq: MITI), a biotechnology company founded in Germany with its R&D center in Munich and headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, for $11 per share in cash ' a near 33% premium to its closing price on Wednesday, for a transaction value of around $1.16 billion. Yesterday also saw Celgene make a bid for Avila Therapeutics (see separate story). 27 January 2012
Biotechnology
USA-based Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) yesterday revealed that it has entered into a definitive merger deal to acquire Avila Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company developing targeted covalent drugs that treat diseases through protein silencing. 27 January 2012
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