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
Biotechnology
In a third acquisition deal announced so far this year, Canada-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (TSX: VRX) said yesterday that it has acquired a 19.9% minority equity investment in Pele Nova Biotecnologia SA, a Brazilian research company focused on tissue regeneration. 12 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
Speaking at the companys annual meeting, Swiss drug maj'or Roche (ROG: SIX) chairman Franz Humer said: "Our strategy of concentrating on pharmaceuticals and diagnostics and our sharp focus on innovation will also be key for our future success. The proposed acquisition of Illumina would strengthen our Diagnostics Division because gene sequencing will be a key technology going forward. Roche and Illumina would benefit from a rapid merger. However, this is an area where we have other options should the transaction fail over price." 7 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
In a second acquisition within six months, UK-based protein research tools supplier Abcam (AIM: ABC) has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Epitomics International, an antibody business headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, with operations in China, for a gross consideration of $170.0 million. 6 March 2012
Biotechnology
Global biotech leader Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) says that all conditions to the closing of the tender offer via a wholly owned subsidiary to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of US / German biotech firm Micromet (Nasdaq: MITI) for $11.00 per share (or around $1.16 billion in total; The Pharma Letter January 27) in cash have been satisfied. 4 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
As part of a series of strategic moves to build its laboratory information management system (LIMS) business in Europe and emerging markets in Latin America and Africa, STARLIMS Technologies, a subsidiary of US health care major Abbott (NYSE: ABT), has announced the acquisition of several longtime distribution partners. 4 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) says it has signed an agreement with Japan's third-largest drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo (TYO: 4568) to form a joint venture (JV) which is expected to create the number one vaccines company in Japan. Completion of the transaction is expected in the third quarter of this year, subject to local regulatory approvals. 2 March 2012
Biotechnology
Italian biopharmaceutical firm Dompe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of Anabasis Srl, a privately held Italian research and development biopharmaceutical company, focused on ocular diseases, in which it bought a 49% stake in January 2011. Financial terms of the accord include an immediate upfront and subsequent milestone payments related to the development and commercialization of nerve growth factor (NGF) in pathological conditions. Further details were not disclosed. 1 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
Germany's Bayer (BAY: DE) is still confident that it can become a top-10 gobal pharmaceutical company, given its strong R&D pipeline with four potential blockbusters and also some acquisitions, the firm's chief executive, Marijn Dekkers, told journalists at the annual financial results conference in Leverkusen this week 1 March 2012
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma (4506: JP) says it has reached an agreement for the acquisition of privately-held US biotech firm Boston Biomedical Inc, headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. 1 March 2012
Pharmaceutical
Danish CNS drug specialist Lundbeck A/S (LUND: DC) and Germany's Paion AG (FSE: PA8) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Lundbeck acquires all of Paion's remaining rights to desmoteplase currently under clinical Phase III development for ischemic stroke. 29 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
Roche has extended its $5.7 billion hostile takeover offer for genetic sequencing specialist Illumina by a month, but has not chosen to increase its bid from the current level of $44.50 per share. 28 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
New Jersey, USA-based botanical therapeutics company Herborium (Pink Sheets: HBRM) says it has signed a Letter of Intent with China Health Resource (OTCBB CHRI) for the sale of up to a 100% interest in Herborium. 26 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
New upcoming treatments for Cushing's syndrome promise to improve patient's quality of life, according to a new report from pharmaceutical intelligence company GlobalData, which found that Cushing's syndrome patients can expect increasingly safe and effective pharmaceutical treatment options in the future, due to the expected launch of three late-stage pipeline molecules. 22 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
David Balto, an antitrust attorney in Washington DC, USA, and former Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission, released a white paper yesterday exposing the flaws in efficiency claims made by US pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX) and Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS), with respect to their proposed merger. 20 February 2012
Biotechnology
Netherlands-based human gene based therapies developer Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (Euronext: AMT) says its board of directors is recommending a substantial corporate restructuring and financing transaction which, if approved by shareholders, will result in the assets and certain liabilities being acquired by a newly-formed private company, uniQure BV, and the AMT legal entity being liquidated and delisted. 19 February 2012
Generics
Global drugs behemoth Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical (SSE Code: 600267), a leading Chinese manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have signed a framework agreement, advancing their previously announced memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize off-patent pharmaceutical products in China and global markets (The Pharma Letter June 3, 2011). 19 February 2012
Generics
Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) says it has formed a new joint venture with Supera Farma Laboratorios, a Brazilian drugmaker co-owned by Cristalia and Eurofarma, to market, distribute and sell a portfolio of innovative pharmaceutical and branded generic products from Merck, Cristalia and Eurofarma solely in the Brazilian retail sector. 16 February 2012
Biotechnology
There was a double-dose of bad news for Sweden's Karo Bio (STO: KARO), which this week said it would discontinue the development program for its late-stage cholesterol lowerer eprotirome after an animal study has demonstrated unwanted effects following long-term exposure. 15 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
Japan's Maruho says it has acquired Cutanea Life Sciences (CLS), a privately held dermatology development company based in Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA. CLS will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maruho. 15 February 2012
Pharmaceutical
German drugmaker Riemser Arzneimittel AG is extending its range of supportive cancer therapy products by purchasing the world-wide rights to Swiss drug major Roche's (ROG: SIX) Ostac (clodronic acid), a drug used in chemotherapy regimens for the treatment of metastatic bone lesions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 15 February 2012
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