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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Latest Mergers & Acquisitions News & Features
Biosimilars
US pharma giant Merck & Co has filed a Form 10 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with the intended spinoff of its women’s health, biosimilars and established brands businesses into a standalone, publicly-traded company, Organon. 18 March 2021
Pharmaceutical
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its counterpart competition enforcement agencies in the USA, European Union, the UK and Canada, are launching a working group to update their approach to analyzing the effects of pharmaceutical mergers. 17 March 2021
Biotechnology
Russian biotech firm Biocad has confirmed it will begin clinical trials of its anti-cancer drug Forteka (prolgolimab) in China, with the aim of its possible production in that country, according to local media reports. 15 March 2021
Biotechnology
Spanish drugmaker Grifols today announced the closing of its agreement with GigaGen to acquire its remaining 56% share capital for $80 million. 9 March 2021
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker Takeda has announced the exercise of its option to acquire Maverick Therapeutics, a private biopharma company pioneering conditionally active bispecific T-cell targeted immunotherapies. 9 March 2021
Biotechnology
Two sets of research results attracted attention last week. US biotech Amgen and UK pharma major AstraZeneca last Monday released positive Phase III results for their tezepelumab, which could change the way asthma is treated. Also, last Wednesday, US Pharma major Eli Lilly and partner Incyte announced encouraging Ph III data on their JAK inhibitor Olumiant for alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. On Tuesday, G1 Therapeutics announced the start of the rollout with partner, Germany’s Boehringer Ingelheim, of their new drug Cosela (trilaciclib) as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. Amgen again hit the headlines last week, announcing that it is buying Five Prime – and its lead candidate bemarituzumab – for $1.9 billion. 7 March 2021
Biotechnology
Revolo Biotherapeutics, which today rebranded itself from Immune Regulation, has outlined its mission to dramatically alter the autoimmune and allergic disease treatment landscape and the culmination of significant changes made over the past year, including: 5 March 2021
Biotechnology
The USA’s largest biotech firm Amgen, which has been fairly quiet on the M&A front for a while, announced it was splashing out nearly $2 billion on an acquisition today. 4 March 2021
Biotechnology
US drug major AbbVie has purchased an exclusive right to acquire San Francisco-based biotech firm Mitokinin following completion of investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies on Mitokinin's lead PINK1 compound with potential in Parkinson’s disease. 3 March 2021
Biotechnology
Argobio, a newly-created start-up studio dedicated to life sciences, today announced its launch with 50 million euros ($60.3 million) of committed capital. 3 March 2021
Biotechnology
China’s WuXi AppTec (SHA: 603259) yesterday announced the completion of a $135 million acquisition of OXGENE, a pioneering UK-based contract research and development organization that designs and develops scalable gene therapy technologies. 3 March 2021
Pharmaceutical
There were not many acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry in February, but three of them were in the billion dollar-plus category. 1 March 2021
Biotechnology
US Food and Drug Administration-related stories were a feature of last week’s news. First up, AstraZeneca revealed that, as its supportive clinical trial – aimed at converting an accelerated approval to full approval – had failed, and it was therefore withdrawing the bladder cancer indication for its Imfinzi in the USA. There was positive news for Regeneron and partner Sanofi last Monday, when they gained FDA approval for their Libtayo in the treatment of lung cancer. However, bluebird bio revealed that the FDA has put a clinical hold on its gene therapy LentiGlobin for the treatment of sickle cell disease, due to the emergence of serious adverse events that might be linked to the drug. Meantime, on the M&A front, US pharma giant Merck & Co announced that it was acquiring autoimmune drug developer Pandion Therapeutics. 28 February 2021
Pharmaceutical
Agreement has been reached for Takeda to transfer the assets, marketing rights and, eventually, marketing authorization associated with a portfolio of diabetes products in Japan to fellow Japanese firm Teijin Pharma. 26 February 2021
Biotechnology
US biotech Pandion Therapeutics’ shares rocketed 133% to $59.63 in morning trading, after it was revealed that it has agreed to be acquired by US pharma giant Merck & Co. 25 February 2021
Biotechnology
US biotech Beam Therapeutics saw its shares fall 12.6% to $96.48 yesterday, after it announced it has completed the acquisition of Guide Therapeutics (GuideTx). 24 February 2021
Pharmaceutical
Danish life sciences investor Novo Holdings announced that it has agreed to acquire Altasciences from Audax Private Equity. 23 February 2021
Generics
The recent merger of Mylan and Upjohn was one of the biggest in healthcare. But in their rebirth as Viatris (Nasdaq: VTRS), a lesson about the future of the industry may be in rediscovering its humanity, writes Christina Falzano, managing director, Conran Design Group, in an Expert View piece. 19 February 2021
Pharmaceutical
Moscow’s Sistema, an investment company, has launched a new pharmaceutical holding company, Binnopharm Group, together with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). 19 February 2021
Biotechnology
A new pharmaceutical R&D model was created today, with the merger of 10 privately-held biotech companies with highly validated programs led by industry leading teams to operate under the Centessa umbrella. 17 February 2021
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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