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
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
Generics
US drugmaker Perrigo (Nasdaq: PRGO; TASE) announced on Friday that it has signed a definitive merger agreement and has completed the acquisition of Cobrek Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held, Chicago, Illinois-based drug development company, for around $45 million on a cash free and debt free basis. 31 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
USA-based OPKO Health (NYSE: OPK) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Silcon Comercio, Importacao E Exportacao de Produtos Farmaceuticos e Cosmeticos, which is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Silcon expands OPKO's presence in Latin America and complements business activities of units in Chile and Mexico, the US firm said. Financial terms were not disclosed. 28 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group says it has agreed to sell its entire shareholdings in Japanese capsule manufacturer Qualicaps to Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, a Japanese company mainly operating in the leading chemical and health care businesses. The transaction, valued at 55.8 billion yen ($655 million), is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in March 2013. 28 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Chinese contract research organization WuXi PharmaTech (NYSE: WX) and PRA, a global clinical CRO, have signed a joint venture agreement to offer a broad platform of Phase I-IV clinical trial services in China, Hong Kong and Macau. The joint venture will provide services including clinical trial monitoring, project management, regulatory strategy and submissions, data management, biostatistics, drug safety reporting, and medical monitoring. 27 December 2012
Generics
Dublin, Ireland-based sales, marketing, distribution and business support services group DCC, says that its DCC Healthcare unit has reached conditional agreement to acquire privately held Kent Pharmaceutical, a UK generic pharmaceuticals company, based on an enterprise valuation of 71.2 million euros ($93.3 million). Completion of the acquisition is conditional, inter alia, on approval from the Irish Competition Authority and it is anticipated that the transaction will complete in early 2013. 24 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
French drug major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the animal health division of the Indian company Dosch Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, creating a market entry for its Animal Health division Merial in that country's strategically important and growing animal health sector. 21 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Independent Dutch firm Norgine BV and fellow Amsterdam-based SpePharm Holding BV have concluded a broad collaboration agreement under which the two companies have invested in a 50:50 joint venture, SpePharm AG, which has acquired the entire hospital product portfolio of SpePharm Holding, including Savene (dexrazoxane), MuGard, Xerotin, PROther and the Dantrium (dantrolene) brands. 18 December 2012
Generics
Want to acquire a Japanese pharmaceutical company? Join the back of a long line of companies with the same objective. There is no shortage of willing buyers, but trying to find a willing seller is like looking for a needle in a haystack, says P Reed Maurer, long-time Japanese pharma industry watcher and president of International Alliances Limited (IAL) in an exclusive article for The Pharma Letter. 18 December 2012
Biotechnology
French biotech firm Vivalis (Euronext: VLS) has entered into an accord to acquire Intercell (ICEL.VI) in a deal valuing the Austrian vaccine maker at around 133 million euros ($174 million), and creating an enlarged entity in the European biotechnology sector under the name of Valneva, with stock market listings in Paris and Vienna. 18 December 2012
Biotechnology
USA-based Enzon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENZN) said yesterday that its board has retained Lazard to act as financial advisor in a review of the possible sale or disposition of one or more corporate assets, or a sale of the company. 18 December 2012
Generics
Japan's largest drugmaker, Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502), has entered into a definitive agreement with Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, a wholly-owned subsidiary of India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (SUN: BO) for the sale of the non-Colcrys (colchicine, USP) URL Pharma, generic business. 17 December 2012
Biotechnology
Germany-based Fresenius Kabi, a provider of infusion therapy and clinical nutrition. has signed an agreement to sell its subsidiary Calea France SAS to German technology firm The Linde Group. Calea is active in the French homecare market and focuses on respiratory therapy, which is not a core business of Fresenius Kabi. 17 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Italian drugmaker Recordati *RC: MI) has signed an agreement for the acquisition of all rights concerning a portfolio of products indicated for the treatment of rare and other diseases and marketed mainly in the USA, from Denmark' Lundbeck (LUND: DC). 17 December 2012
Generics
Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZ) said on Friday that the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the decision of the District Court, District of Delaware, finding that the US substance patent protecting the firm's blockbuster cholesterol drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) (RE37,314 - the '314 patent) is valid and enforceable. 17 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Australia's Mayne Pharma Group (ASX: MYX) has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Kapanol and related assets in Australia from UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK), for a total consideration of up to A$14 million ($14.7 million), made up of an upfront cash payment of A$10.125 million and up to A$0.5 million for inventory at completion of the acquisition on February 1, 2013; plus A$3.375 million payable on February 1, 2014. 16 December 2012
Generics
Finland-based water chemistry specialist Kemira Oyj (OMX: KRA1V) has signed an agreement to sell its food and pharmaceutical businesses together with its acetate based chemicals business to US company Niacet Corp, for a transaction value of 82 million euros ($106 million). 16 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
The Medicines Company in over $105 million deal with Bristol-Myers for Recothrom; buys Incline Thera
Pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and fellow-USA-based The Medicines Company (Nasdaq: MDCO) have signed a global license and two year collaboration for Recothrom (thrombin alfa), a recombinant thrombin approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (The Pharma Letter January 28, 2008) for use as a topical hemostat to control non-arterial bleeding during surgical procedures. 14 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
A Bloomberg report says that Warburg Pincus, which acquired the business in 2007, has appointed Goldman Sachs to help it find a buyer, although Bausch & Lomb's owner is also said to be considering an initial public offering (IPO) for the business. 13 December 2012
Biotechnology
US biotech firm Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) has agreed to acquire Canada's YM BioSciences (TSX: YM) in a deal that adds another drug candidate to its oncology portfolio and causing the Canadian firm's shares to leap 77% to $2.88. 13 December 2012
Pharmaceutical
Troubled US drugmaker Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SOMX) saw its shares leap around 85% to $2.74 yesterday morning, when it was revealed that fellow USA-based Pernix Therapeutics (NYSE: PTX) had agreed a merger accord in a stock-for-stock transaction with a total equity value of $25 million. However, the rise was nothing compared to Somaxon's good times, in 2011, when the stock traded at around $27 a share. 12 December 2012
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