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
Yet another public listing via special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) demonstrates the growing popularity of the approach, as an alternative to the traditional initial public offering. 11 August 2021
Pharmaceutical
In the latest twist in the battle to acquire Vectura, the board of the UK inhaled therapies maker today acknowledged that Carlyle, one of the two bidders, has announced it will not improve its 155 pence per share offer for the company, as declared on August 6, through its Murano Bidco vehicle. 11 August 2021
Pharmaceutical
Following the announcement on Friday that the board of Vectura had accepted an improved takeover offer from private equity group Carlyle of 155 pence a share, Philip Morris has increased its previous offer for the UK inhaled medicines company. 9 August 2021
Biotechnology
Among last week’s notable news, 10 years after the last drug for systemic lupus erythematosus was cleared for marketing, the UK’s AstraZeneca gained approval for its Saphnelo (anifrolumab) for SLE from the US Food and Drug Administration. M&A featured, with French drugmaker Sanofi, in a bid to catch up in the mRNA sector, saying it was shelling out $3.2 billion to acquire Translate Bio, and then Germany’s Bayer on Thursday announced it is acquiring US biotech Vividion Therapeutics for up to $2 billion. Also of note, US biotech Regeneron Pharmaceuticals presented positive new Phase III results for its lung cancer drug Libtayo. 8 August 2021
Pharmaceutical
UK-based inhaled medicines developer Vectura, which jilted a first offer from the Carlyle Group in July in favor of a bid from tobacco company Philip Morris, today received and accepted a higher bid from the private equity firm. 6 August 2021
Biotechnology
Having previously entered into a licensing deal with Translate Bio, French pharma major Sanofi today revealed that it has reached an accord to buy the US clinical-stage mRNA therapeutics company. 3 August 2021
Biotechnology
Last week Denali Therapeutics presented early-stage clinical data on its Hunter syndrome candidate DNL310 that did not go down too well with investors. On the deal-making front, US biotech bluebird bio reached agreement with National Resilience to develop next generation cell therapies that will earn it $100 million, while Japan’s PeptiDream struck another mega-bucks licensing accord last week, this time with US RNAi specialist Alnylam worth a potential $2.2 billion. Also, last Tuesday, biotech giant Amgen announced it is acquiring Teneobio in order to help strengthen its portfolio. 1 August 2021
Pharmaceutical
Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical and Frazier Healthcare Partners yesterday announced a collaboration to launch HilleVax, a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialize Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate. 30 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
British drugmaker AstraZeneca delivered strong revenue growth in the second quarter, taking in $8.2 billion, an increase of 31% from the same period last year. 29 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
Research from industry analyst GlobalData shows that acquisitions of contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) are increasing at a significant rate. 29 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
Germany-based biotech ATAI Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to transform the treatment of mental health disorders, and UniQuest, Australia’s leading university technology transfer company commercializing the research of The University of Queensland (UQ), today announced the launch of InnarisBio Inc, to develop a novel sol-gel intranasal drug delivery technology to improve treatments for mental health disorders. 28 July 2021
Biotechnology
The USA’s largest biotech Amgen has announced its third acquisition this year, saying yesterday that it is to buy Teneobio, a California-based privately held, clinical stage biotechnology company developing a new class of biologics called human heavy-chain antibodies. 28 July 2021
Biotechnology
US medtech giant PerkinElmer has announced the largest acquisition in its history. 27 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
Shares of UK-based medicinal cannabis firm Kanabo Group were up 9.6% at 16.44 pence early afternoon today, after it announced the proposed acquisition of the European businesses of 11157353 Canada Corp, which trades under the name of Materia. 26 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
GlaxoSmithKline has confirmed the current head of its consumer health joint venture (JV) will continue as chief executive once the unit is spun out into a standalone business. 23 July 2021
Biotechnology
Cancer-focused cell therapy company ImmPACT Bio has announced its merger with Californian biotech Kalthera. 22 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
Licensing agreements featured heavily in last week’s news, starting with US biotech Biogen entering into an agreement that could cost it $1 billion to get rights to a BTK inhibitor – orelabrutinib for multiple sclerosis – from China’s InnoCare Pharma. Denmark’s Novo Nordisk in-licensed rights to Prothena’s ATTR amyloidosis program, and PRX004, in a deal worth up to $1.2 billion. Also, Ionis Pharmaceuticals last Tuesday exercised an option on fellow USA-based Bicycle Therapeutics’ oligonucleotide targeting the transferrin receptor 1. On the M&A front, Eli Lilly revealed on Wednesday it was acquiring privately-held US company Protomer Technologies for what could be a $1 billion transaction, getting rights to its glucose-sensing insulin project. Additionally, the US Food and Drug Administration took issue with Amgen’s promotion of its cancer drug Neulasta, which the agency said could undermine confidence in biosimilars. 18 July 2021
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major Eli Lilly yesterday announced the acquisition of Protomer Technologies, a private company based in California. 15 July 2021
Biotechnology
British pharma major and coronavirus vaccine developer AstraZeneca has cleared the final regulatory hurdle in its acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals. 14 July 2021
Biotechnology
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Prime Medicine, a company delivering on the promise of Prime Editing to provide lifelong cures to patients, has announced its launch with $315 million in financing. 14 July 2021
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