Pharma & Biotech Mergers & Acquisitions News
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
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Pharmaceutical
Last week’s news included positive Phase III data from Alnylam for its primary hyperoxaluria 1 (PH1) drug lumasiran, and GenScript Biotech’s flotation of Legend Biotech. Also of note, Genmab signed a deal worth a potential $4 billion with AbbVie, largely focussed on its hematological drug candidate epcoritamab, and Novo Nordisk moved further out of its diabetes care comfort zone, forking out a potential $2.1 billion for a planned acquisition of Corvidia and its lead candidate ziltivekimab for kidney disease. 14 June 2020
Biotechnology
In its first full acquisition in the last couple of years, Danish diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Corvidia Therapeutics, a privately held, clinical stage company focused on the research and development of transformative therapies for cardio-renal diseases. 11 June 2020
Biotechnology
San Diego, USA-based biotech DelMar Pharmaceuticals’ shot up 20% pre-market today, as it revealed the signing of a definitive merger agreement with Adgero Biopharmaceuticals, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of its late-stage photodynamic therapy platform for the treatment of serious cutaneous oncology indications. 10 June 2020
Biotechnology
A company formed as a spinout from Cancer Research UK-funded science at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, has been publicly launched. 10 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
Investors and analysts could have been excused for coughing up a few corn flakes as they read Sunday morning’s report from Bloomberg revealing that AstraZeneca had approached Gilead Sciences about a mega-merger last month. 9 June 2020
Biotechnology
Picking up on a 2017 option agreement, Australian biotech firm CSL Limited’s Behring unit late Monday said it is acquiring its privately-held Canadian collaboration partner. 9 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
Given that much of the world was on lockdown, May was a surprisingly busy month for pharmaceutical M&A, and it has been combined with April due to that month's lack of deals. 5 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB today announced the acquisition of Engage Therapeutics, a New Jersey, USA-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing Staccato alprazolam for the rapid termination of an active epileptic seizure. 5 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
Having last month amended its March offer to acquire Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, California-based AcelRx Pharmaceuticals today announced that it does not intend to revise further its offer under the terms of its previously announced agreement and it expects the agreement to be terminated by Tetraphase. 4 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
Shares of Cambridge, UK-based Acacia Pharma were up 7.4% at 3.21 euros by mid-morning today, after it announced an amendment to the terms of its loan agreement with Italy’s Cosmo Pharmaceuticals. 1 June 2020
Pharmaceutical
USA-based Sunovion had good news last week, as the US Food and Drug Administration finally approved its apomorphine, now trade named Kynmobi, sublingual film for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease OFF episodes. French pharma major Sanofi announced it plans to sell its around 20% equity stake in US development partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. On the deal-making front, Gilead Sciences entered into an immune-oncology collaboration with Arcus Biosciences worth a total of up to $2 billion. And late-comer to the COVID-19 treatment arena, Merck & Co, announced not one, but three deals, including the acquisition of Themis, and partnerships with IAVI and Ridgeback. 31 May 2020
Pharmaceutical
The European Commission has waived, under the EU Merger Regulation, the commitments made by Takeda Pharmaceutical to obtain clearance of its acquisition of Shire. 29 May 2020
Biotechnology
Californian company AcelRx Pharmaceuticals has announced a revised merger agreement to acquire Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals. 27 May 2020
Pharmaceutical
Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank, is expanding into the domestic pharmaceutical market, with the establishment of a new company that will focus on the production of drugs, active ingredients, as well as a vaccine against COVID-19, according to recent statements by representatives of the bank and some Russian media, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 27 May 2020
Biotechnology
Privately-owned Austrian biotech Themis Bioscience and MSD (the trading name used by US pharma giant Merck & Co outside North America) have entered into a definitive agreement under which MSD will acquire Themis. 26 May 2020
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker Shionogi said today that, at a meeting of the board of directors held on May 25, it was resolved to take up an option to acquire all the shares of US biotech firm Tetra Therapeutics. 26 May 2020
Pharmaceutical
Based in Barcelona, Spain, Accure Therapeutics, a new pharma R&D player in the central nervous system (CNS) field, announces its launch with a Series A round of funding totaling 7.6 million euros ($8.1 million). 26 May 2020
Biotechnology
Canada-based BetterLife Pharma yesterday announced that it has secured "hard" lock-up agreements from shareholders of Altum Pharmaceuticals representing 67.12% of the outstanding common shares of the Canadian biotech. 26 May 2020
Biotechnology
UK biotech Tiziana Life Sciences today said it intends to demerge its StemPrintER and SPARE (togetherStemPrintER) genomics-based personalized medicine businesses into a separate company and effect a capital reduction to facilitate the spin-out and listing of StemPrintER as an independent entity. 22 May 2020
Biotechnology
In a move aimed at boosting development of its nanopore sequencing technology, Swiss cancer giant Roche has bought out early-stage sequencing expert Stratos Genomics. 22 May 2020
Biotechnology
AlloVir has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with biopharma company Kalaris Therapeutics. 8 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
European regulators will decide by December 6 whether Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, can finalize its $16.5 billion acquisition of contract drug manufacturer Catalent. 5 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
Pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical M&A came back with a bang during October, after a quiet September. 5 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major AbbVie last week proposed $1.4 billion acquisition of US CNS drug developer Aliada Therapeutics. Last week saw a bunch of third quarter 2024 financials results, among which were Elil Lilly, AbbVie and Merck & Co. Also of note, Lexicon’s type I diabetes drug Zynquista faced a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee review that resulted in largely negative vote against recommendation. 3 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
Pharmaceutical
Melbourne, Australia-based Telix Pharmaceuticals has announced the launch of Rhine Pharma, a subsidiary aimed at increasing global access to radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment and imaging. 22 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
French pharma major Sanofi has opened negotiations to sell a 50% controlling stake in its consumer health business Opella to US private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). 21 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
Last week’s significant news included Denmark-based CNS drugmaker Lundbeck reaching agreement to acquire US firm Longboard Pharmaceuticals, along with its bexicaserin, for $2.6 billion. Also, US pharma giant Pfizer entered into a deal with TRIANA Biomedicines to develop molecular glue degraders. On the regulatory front, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved Novocure’s key product Optune Lua for lung cancer patients. Also, German biotech BioNTech and its US partner OncoC4 received a partial clinical hold from the FDA on the Phase III trial of gotistobart in lung cancer. The European Medicines Agency’s human health committee, CHMP, Reaffirmed its non-approval of PTC Therapeutic’s Translarna. 20 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
USA-based Kezar Life Sciences announced this week that it was pausing its Phase IIb PALIZADE trial evaluating zetomipzomib in lupus nephritis (LN) following the deaths of four patients. 10 October 2024
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