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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Pharmaceutical
In an industry where consumer health businesses seem to change hands as often as drugs and dollars, Germany’s Merck was the latest drugmaker to be involved in a deal this week. 19 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
The spate of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the Indian pharma sector continues unabated. As foreign players continue to scout for potential Indian targets to complement their existing offerings and provide a platform for incremental growth, the bogey of drug multinational companies (MNCs) attacking India's ability to produce low-cost quality generic drugs has once again come to the fore, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 19 April 2018
Generics
Sanofi has entered into exclusive negotiations to sell Zentiva, its European generics business, to global private equity firm Advent International for 1.9 billion euros ($2.35 billion), the French pharma major announced today. 17 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
Shire saw its share gain as much as 3,55% to 73,732 pence shortly after markets opened this morning, after the Ireland-headquartered rare diseases biotech announced that has entered into a cash sale for its oncology business. 16 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
Mergers and acquisitions were very much in the news last week. First, there was Novartis announced takeover of US gene therapy firm AveXis for around $8.7 billion, and then came Alexion Pharmaceuticals, with a bid of around $855 million for Sweden’s Wilson Therapeutics and its rare disease candidate WTX101. On the research front, the good news was that Merck & Co announced significant success for its blockbuster drug Keytruda in lung cancer, and AbbVie released positive Phase III trial data on its upadacitinib. Not so good was that NewLink is reviewing its IDO program following the disappointment of Incyte’s epacadostat trial, and that vTv Therapeutics’ Alzheimer’s disease candidate azeliragon has failed in a Phase III study. 15 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
If successful, Takeda Pharmaceutical's purchase of Ireland-headquartered rare disease specialist Shire would be the largest-ever acquisition by a Japanese pharma company. 13 April 2018
Biotechnology
Shares in Paris-based biotech Deinove are trading almost a tenth higher for the day on news that it has bought the Austrian firm Biovertis. 13 April 2018
Biotechnology
Alexion Pharmaceuticals has offered 7.1 billion Swedish kronor ($855 million) to buy Stockholm-based Wilson Therapeutics, by way of a tender offer. 12 April 2018
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline and Orchard Therapeutics today announced a strategic agreement, under which GSK will transfer its portfolio of approved and investigational rare disease gene therapies to Orchard, securing the continued development of the programs and access for patients. 12 April 2018
Biotechnology
Belgian cell therapy company Promethera Biosciences has acquired Baliopharm, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of targeted biological therapies for immune mediated inflammatory diseases and cancer. 10 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
Russian millionaire Viktor Kharitonin has consolidated the 100% stake in Pharmstandard, one of Russia’s largest drugmakers and one of the largest suppliers of drugs for state purchases, according to the company, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 9 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
ImmunoPrecise Antibodies (TSX Venture: IPA) closed 12% up on Friday at C$0.74 as the Canadian contract research organization (CRO) announced a major acquisition. 9 April 2018
Biotechnology
Flush with cash following the $13 billion sale of its consumer health joint venture stake, Swiss pharma giant Novartis has announced a significant acquisition to expand its gene therapy and neuroscience business. 9 April 2018
Biotechnology
A new biotech startup founded by stem cell specialists from Harvard has won backing from Amgen Ventures, Alexandria Venture Investments and the investment arm of Mitsubishi Tanabe in its goal to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 6 April 2018
Biotechnology
Eli Lilly has offloaded three non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) programs to Sino-American biotech startup Terns Pharmaceuticals, which will take on global development and commercialization of the small molecule candidates. 6 April 2018
Biotechnology
Many high-profile startsups prefer crashing in crowded mega Chinese cities. For example, Zai Lab is located in Shanghai, and BeiGene chose to stay in Beijing, comments The Pharma Letter’s China correspondent Wang Fangqing. 5 April 2018
Biotechnology
Privately-held Swiss firm Ferring Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday closed a deal to acquire USA-based Rebiotix, a development-stage biotechnology company focusing on the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases by developing human microbiome. 5 April 2018
Biotechnology
UCB expects to strengthen its position in genomics and epigenomics research platform to identify novel drug targets with the acquisition of a US business. 5 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
The first quarter of 2018 ends quietly, despite the flurry of activity that kicked the year off. That is, with the notable exception of the Cigna-Express deal that was announced this month. 4 April 2018
Biotechnology
USA-based Agilent Technologies has bought DNA sequencing firm Lasergen, paying $105 million for all outstanding shares in the company. 4 April 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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