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
Today's issue
Refine Search
Latest Mergers & Acquisitions News & Features
Pharmaceutical
The topic of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) was very much in the news last week, as Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical declared that it was considering a bid for Ireland-headquartered Shire, which has long been seen as a takeover target, but not for a Japanese drug major, though no firm offer was made. Also grabbing attention was GlaxoSmithKline’s decision to opt for a $13 billion buy of Novartis’s share in their Consumer Health joint venture. Elsewhere, positive Phase III clinical trial results with Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ migraine treatment rimegepant elicited comment, as did and Verona Pharma’s COPD drug RPL554. On the research front, however, there was also negative news for Protagonist Therapeutics’ Crohn’s disease candidate PTG-200 and Edge Therapeutics’ EG-1962 for aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). 2 April 2018
Pharmaceutical
Shares in Shire were up 16% at £35.49 by mid-afternoon on Wednesday after Japan’s largest pharma company confirmed that it was considering making an approach to buy the Ireland-headquartered drugmaker. 28 March 2018
Generics
Eisai and fellow Japanese firm Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical have agreed terms for a strategic capital and business alliance in the generics sector. 28 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
UK drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is to pay $13 billion to Novartis for the Swiss pharma giant’s 36.5% share in the Consumer Healthcare Joint Venture between the companies. 27 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
US privately-held drugmaker CutisPharma today announced that it has been acquired by NovaQuest Capital Management. 26 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
New research results from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and partner Sanofi on their PCSK9 drug Praluent and a novel scheme to improve access to the expensive drug attracted a great deal of attention last week, as did late-stage trial results with AbbVie’s elagolix for uterine fibroids. In deal-making news, there was Biogen picking up Pfizer’s neurological cast-off PF-04958242, and Lundbeck acquiring Prexton Therapeutics along with its Parkinson’s disease drug foliglurax, as well as Ionis Pharmaceuticals upping its stake in Akcea Therapeutics and off-loading its rare disease drug candidate inotersen. 18 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Danish CNS specialist Lundbeck has signed a definitive agreement in which it will acquire Prexton Therapeutics. 16 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Shares in Express Scripts, the USA’s largest pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), were up by 12% in mid-morning trading on Thursday after news emerged that it was to be taken over in a $67 billion deal. 8 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Given how busy mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity was across pharma and biotech in January, it was perhaps not surprising that February was a quieter month, but three of pharma's biggest players still dipped their hands in their pockets. 7 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Regulatory news was at the forefront of comment in the past week, notably Celgene getting a major setback on its multiple sclerosis drug candidate ozanimod with a refusal-to-file letter from the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as positive news for Sorrento Therapeutics’ with FDA approval for its non-opioid post-shingles pain drug ZTlido. AstraZeneca attracted interest with its spin out of certain inflammatory and autoimmune products into a new company – Viela Bio, as did Mylan, with the announcement of a deal with Revance Therapeutics to develop a Botox biosimilar. 4 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Michael Jewell, healthcare partner at sell-side mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory firm Cavendish Corporate Finance, writes an Expert View piece on the potentially busy year ahead for dealmaking in the pharma sector. 1 March 2018
Pharmaceutical
Investors in Akorn had a wake-up call yesterday, as Germany-based Fresenius raised doubts about its acquisition of Akorn amid a Food and Drug Administration enquiry into alleged allegations of FDA integrity requirements relating to product developments 28 February 2018
Biotechnology
The biologics arm of UK-based AstraZeneca is putting six molecules from its early-stage inflammation and autoimmunity programs at the heart of a newly formed company, called Viela Bio. 28 February 2018
Biotechnology
Honk Kong-based Golden Meditech, a diversified medtech and healthcare services firm, has acquired licenses to permit genetic testing and cell and tissue storage services in Shanghai. 26 February 2018
Biotechnology
Merck & Co has agreed to buy the Australian firm Viralytics Limited for A$1.75 per share, valuing the firm at just over half a billion Australian dollars ($394 million). 21 February 2018
Pharmaceutical
French drugmaker Ipsen has entered into a strategic agreement to develop and commercialize innovative therapies with UK-based life sciences firm Arix Bioscience. 21 February 2018
Pharmaceutical
PDL BioPharma today officially announced it will no longer pursue its proposed acquisition of US modified-release drug delivery specialist Neos Therapeutics. 20 February 2018
Pharmaceutical
A new firm dubbed Gain Therapeutics has been spun out of Barcelona’s Minoryx Therapeutics, centered around the SEE-Tx platform to develop treatments for rare metabolic diseases. 20 February 2018
Generics
Switzerland’s Novartis is mulling a sale of its generic dermatologics business, which primarily does business in the USA, according to Reuters. 19 February 2018
Biotechnology
In biotech, investors are used to hearing big pledges from start-ups about their capacity to meet needs and cure diseases, but even in this optimistic field, some of the goals set by a new US company are unusually ambitious. 16 February 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
Sign up to receive email updates
Join industry leaders for a daily roundup of biotech & pharma news
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2024 | Headless Content Management with Blaze