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
Having taken an exclusive option to acquire US biotech firm Potenza Therapeutics back in 2015, as part of a research collaboration, Japanese pharma major Astellas Pharma yesterday closed the transaction. 14 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
The downturn seen in the pharma and biotech sectors in the past few months of 2018 looks set to continue into 2019, with investors in the industry likely to become more cautious. 13 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
The runaway success of Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) ensured the future of Seattle Genetics as an antibody-drug conjugate specialist, but chief executive Clay Siegall has bigger ideas about the breadth of focus for the growing company. 13 December 2018
Generics
Activity in the pharma sector is rife in India, with mergers and acquisition deal values doubling given revived domestic and cross-border deal activity. Technology in the form of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data has also come to the aid of the pharmaceutical industry, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 12 December 2018
Biotechnology
USA-based HiFiBiO Therapeutics has today announced the formation of Victa Biotherapeutics, a joint venture with Vikas Sukhatme, Robert W Woodruff Professor of Medicine and Dean of Emory University School of Medicine. 11 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
Among pharma M&A news last week, the big story was GlaxoSmithKline’s $5.1 billion acquisition of Tesaro and its cancer drug Zejula. On the licensing front, J&S’s Janssen unit struck a deal to develop argenx’ blood cancer drug cusatuzumab that could be worth $1.6 billion. Also, Revance Therapeutics’ China out-licensing deal for its Botox rival RT002 to Fosun was seen as a positive, as was the latest data from the SAKURA 3 trial. There was disappointment for Germany’ Bayer, as it halted a trial of its uterine fibroid candidate vilaprisan following toxicity concerns. 9 December 2018
Generics
Fresenius saw its worst share price fall ever on Friday, after the German healthcare group issued a profit warning, the previous day. Its share plunged 17.71% to 38.00 euros by close. 8 December 2018
Generics
German drugmaker Stada Arzneimittel has increased its indirect shareholding in the Vietnamese pharmaceutical company Pymepharco JSC to 72%, in which it has been a strategic since 2008. 7 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
Shares of US drugmaker Mallinckrodt closed down 6.92% at $21.53 yesterday, after it announced plans to reshape its image. 7 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
The most important M&A news of the month was arguably the giant step taken by Japanese drugmaker Takeda towards taking over rare diseases specialist Shire in the year's biggest deal, with shareholders voting in favor of the acquisition. 6 December 2018
Biotechnology
UK-based rare and specialty diseases specialist Mereo BioPharma and US oncology focused OncoMed Pharmaceuticals today announce the proposed combination of the companies. 5 December 2018
Biotechnology
Analyst views GSK's buy of Tesaro, saying it may not guarantee a firm foothold in the oncology space
Following the news on Monday (December 3) that UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) has struck a deal to purchase USA-based Tesaro (Nasdaq: TSRO) for $5.1 billion, GlobalData pharma analyst Paul Jeng offers his view on the company’s prospects. 5 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
London-listed drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has divested its Horlicks brand and other consumer healthcare nutrition brands to Unilever, as part of a previously-announced strategic overhaul. 4 December 2018
Biotechnology
There has been much speculation in recent weeks that US drugmaker and PARP inhibitor specialist Tesaro had put itself up for sale that has already sent the firm’s shares higher, but today they leapt more than 59% to $73.95 in pre-market trading after it was revealed that it has reached agreement to be taken over. 3 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
News last week on the clinical trial front included disappointing results with Vectura’s VR475 in asthma, causing the company to abandon further development of the drug. There was better news for Vertex, which presented positive data on its VX 659 in cystic fibrosis. Regulatory news included US Food and Drug Administration approval for Bayer and Loxo Oncology’s TRK inhibitor Vitrakvi in solid tumors. Elsewhere, Roche announced it is buying US biotech start-up Jecure Therapeutics, aiming to join the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) race, and Moderna Therapeutics plans IPO valued at over $500 million, making it the largest ever development-stage biotech IPO. 2 December 2018
Pharmaceutical
German life sciences group Merck KGaA has successfully completed the sale of its Consumer Health business to Procter & Gamble, giving the latter vitamin brands such as Seven Seas, Femibion and Neurobion, and greater exposure to Latin American and Asian markets. 30 November 2018
Pharmaceutical
Germany’s Bayer has unveiled a number of strategic business decisions aimed at strengthening its core life science businesses. 29 November 2018
Pharmaceutical
Canada’s Quest PharmaTech has entered into a license agreement with US company OncoCare Therapeutics, to develop and commercialize the company's Targeted Cancer Therapy Technology in the USA. 29 November 2018
Biotechnology
Swiss pharma giant Roche edged 1.02% higher to 252.15 Swiss francs this morning, after it was revealed it is seeking a position in the hot area of liver disease. 28 November 2018
Biotechnology
The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), an Irish sovereign development fund, WuXi NextCODE, the emerging global standard platform for genomics, and Irish life sciences company Genomics Medicine Ireland (GMI), today announce details of a $400 million investment program aimed at making Ireland an important hub for genomics research and development of new disease treatments and cures. 27 November 2018
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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