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
South Korean contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Samsung Biologics plans to add mRNA vaccine drug substance (DS) manufacturing capability to the current facility in Songdo, ready for cGMP operations within the earlier part of the year in 2022. 1 June 2021
Pharmaceutical
Clinical trials featured in last week’s news, with US company Annovis Bio seeing its market value double on May 21, when it released new data showing the potential of its ANVS401 as a treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. On the negative side, NGM Biopharmaceutical last Monday added to the list of failures in the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) therapy sector with its candidate aldafermin. Meanwhile, French drugmaker Abivax presented encouraging data for its ulcerative colitis candidate ABX464. On the M&A front, UK inhaled therapies specialist Vectura agreed to a £958 million ($1.35 billion) takeover bid from venture capital firm Carlyle Group. Also, the UK’s Marketing and Competition Authority announced that it will commence an investigation of AstraZeneca’s planned $39 billion acquisition of the US drugmaker Alexion Pharmaceuticals. 30 May 2021
Biosimilars
ProBioGen and Egyptian firm Minapharm Pharmaceuticals, which owns 96.79% of Germany-based ProBioGen, have announced the incorporation of ProBioGen's subsidiary MiGenTra GmbH with headquarters in Berlin and access to a site in Cairo, which will house its principal manufacturing plant. 27 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
AstraZeneca’s planned $39 billion buy of American rare disease specialist Alexion Pharmaceuticals hit a speed bump on Tuesday, after the UK’s antitrust body launched a review of the deal. 26 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
Switzerland-based Tillotts Pharma, part of Japan’s Zeria Group, today announced entering new markets in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux). 25 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
US specialty drug company Xeris Pharmaceuticals has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Strongbridge Biopharma for stock and contingent value rights (CVRs), aiming to create an innovative leader in endocrinology and rare diseases. 24 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
Japanese pharma major Daiichi Sankyo received a major headway in the global oncology space with the launch of its first antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapy Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan). 21 May 2021
Biotechnology
California, USA-based Gamma Biosciences has as agreed to make a controlling investment in Mirus Bio, an innovator and developer of biomimetic, cell-adaptive lipid-polymer nanocomplexes (LPNCs) for nucleic acid delivery based in Madison, Wisconsin. 19 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
Staff from the US Federal Trade Commission, Canada’s Competition Bureau, the European Commission Directorate General for Competition, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, and Offices of State Attorneys General has issued a notice seeking public comment to inform their review of how to best update their approaches to analyzing the effects of pharmaceutical mergers. 12 May 2021
Biotechnology
Interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics is at an all-time high. 11 May 2021
Biosimilars
Last week saw Novartis’ Sandoz unit on Monday announce it is progressing the development of biosimilars to Bayer and Regeneron’s blockbuster ophthalmic drug Eylea. Also of note, the US medicine cost watchdog, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), issued a draft report questioning the benefit/risk of Biogen and Eisai’s Alzheimer’s disease candidate aducanumab. And Roivant Sciences entered into a $7.3 billion SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) deal with Montes Archimedes to go public. Marking an important new indication for Merck & Co’s Keytruda, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the blockbuster drug for the first-line treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer. 9 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
Some of biopharma's biggest companies announced acquisitions in March and April. 7 May 2021
Biotechnology
Irish rare diseases firm Amryt Pharma has signed a definitive agreement to acquire US-headquartered Chiasma in an all-stock combination valued at around $330 million. 6 May 2021
Pharmaceutical
US pharma giant Merck & Co has detailed plans for the Organon spinoff. 5 May 2021
Biotechnology
Eikon Therapeutics, a pioneer in live-cell super-resolution microscopy and engineering for drug discovery, today announced that it has closed a $148 million Series A financing led by The Column Group with participation from Foresite Capital, Innovation Endeavors and Lux Capital. 5 May 2021
Biotechnology
Life-cycle investment firm RTW Investments and Dutch biotech ProQR Therapeutics today announced that Yarrow Biotechnology, a company newly created by RTW, has in-licensed exclusive rights to ProQR’s antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology to develop and commercialize potential therapies for an undisclosed non-ophthalmic target. 4 May 2021
Biotechnology
The launch of French drug discovery company NovoBiome has been announced. 4 May 2021
Biotechnology
Newly-established Swiss biotech MoonLake Immunotherapeutics has in-licensed the tri-specific nanobody sonelokimab (M1095/ALX 0761) from Germany’s Merck KGaA (MRK: DE). 4 May 2021
Biotechnology
Switzerland-based biopharma Roivant Sciences and Montes Archimedes Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Patient Square Capital, have entered into a definitive business combination agreement. 4 May 2021
Biotechnology
US pharma giant Pfizer said yesterday that it has acquired San Diego-based Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held biotech dedicated to the development of therapies for debilitating and life-threatening diseases that affect people with compromised immune systems. 29 April 2021
Pharmaceutical
Swiss pharma giant Novartis today announced an upgrade to its mid-term guidance, in advance of its Meet Novartis Management event for investors and analysts in London. 21 November 2024
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
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
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
Biosimilars
South Korean biosimilars company Celltrion today announced its acquisition of iQone Healthcare Switzerland a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on distribution, sales, and marketing in Switzerland. 15 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
Pharmaceutical
Life science investor Syncona has announced the launch of its newest portfolio company, Slingshot Therapeutics, through the Syncona Accelerator initiative. 14 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
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
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