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
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
Pharmaceutical
Sumitovant Biopharma and Urovant Sciences have entered into a definitive merger agreement for Sumitovant to acquire the outstanding shares of Urovant common stock not already owned by Sumitovant at a price of $16.25 per share in cash. 13 November 2020
Biotechnology
Belgian drugmaker UCB has announced the acquisition of Handl Therapeutics along with a new collaboration with Lacerta Therapeutics. 12 November 2020
Pharmaceutical
The biggest M&A deal announced last week was Merck & Co’s $2.75 billion buy of VelosBio, while Sanofi’s acquisition of Kiadis was notable because the latter company’s future was in doubt just a year ago. Elsewhere, Bristol Myers Squibb had a major pipeline breakthrough and a US Food and Drug Administration briefing document on the Alzherimer’s candidate aducacumab sent shares in Biogen spiralling, even if a committee vote 6 November 2020
Biotechnology
Danish diabetes giant Novo Nordisk has bought drug delivery company Emisphere Technologies for $1.35 billion. 6 November 2020
Biotechnology
Some six months on from its last acquisition, US pharma giant Merck & Co has announced that it is to acquire VelosBio for $2.75 billion. 5 November 2020
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb announced October's biggest deal with its $13.1 billion acquisition of USA-based drug developer MyoKardia. 2 November 2020
Biotechnology
Aditum Bio, the biotech investment firm co-founded in 2019 by former Novartis chief executive Joe Jimenez and former president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) Dr Mark Fishman, today announced the formation of Tempero Bio. 2 November 2020
Biotechnology
Shares of Netherlands-based biotech Kiadis Pharma skyrocketed 238% to 4.95 euros in early trading this morning, after it revealed a definitive agreement to be acquired by French pharma major Sanofi. 2 November 2020
Generics
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accepted a proposed consent order, agreeing certain asset divestments, which concludes the FTC’s review of the proposed combination of Netherlands-incorporated generics drugmaker Mylan and US pharma giant Pfizer’s Upjohn Business. 2 November 2020
Pharmaceutical
Last week’s notable M&A news saw Germany’s Bayer announce that it is expanding in the cell and gene therapy sector with the acquisition of Asklepios BioPharmaceuticals (AskBio), which will cost it as much as $4 billion. Licensing deal news featured CASI Pharmaceuticals buying rights to a novel anti-FeyRIB antibody, BI-1206, from BioInvent for the Chinese market. US firm Apellis Pharmaceuticals signed a deal with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), out-licensing rights to its pegcetacoplan for up to $1.25 billion. Also, Bristol Myers Squibb entered into a deal with California-based machine-learning driven drug discovery and development firm insitro, looking at certain neurological diseases and potentially worth more than $2 billion. 1 November 2020
Biotechnology
Vedere Bio, a stealth-stage company focused on advancing photoreceptor-protein-based optogenetic therapies that are delivered to the retina intravitreally to restore functional vision, has announced that it has been acquired by Novartis. 29 October 2020
Pharmaceutical
Anti-viral specialist Gilead Sciences posted bullish third quarter results on Wednesday, with revenues up 17% from the same period of 2019, at $6.6 billion. 29 October 2020
Biotechnology
Flagship Pioneering has announced the unveiling of Senda Biosciences, a therapeutics platform company leveraging insights into the molecular connections between humans and co-evolved non-human species. 29 October 2020
Pharmaceutical
If any single chart could tell the tale of Takeda’s global pharmaceutical ambitions, it would be one showing change in annual revenues. 27 October 2020
Biotechnology
Germany’s largest drugmaker Bayer today revealed it is taking a hefty punt on expanding its cell and gene therapy portfolio, with the acquisition of privately-held US biotech Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (also known as AskBio). 26 October 2020
Biotechnology
UK-based 4D pharma, which is leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) – a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome - and Longevity Acquisition Corp today announce the proposed merger of the two companies. 22 October 2020
Pharmaceutical
USA-based BioSpecifics Technologies announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which it will be acquired by Ireland-headquartered Endo International. 19 October 2020
Biotechnology
With the objective of expanding its R&D efforts in pain and neurodegeneration, US pharma major Eli Lilly today announced that it acquiring privately-held US biotech Disarm Therapeutics, which is creating a new class of disease-modifying therapeutics for patients with axonal degeneration. 15 October 2020
Pharmaceutical
Japanese pharma major Astellas saw its shares dip 1% today, after it revealed that it is to buy iota Biosciences for as much as $304 million. 15 October 2020
Biotechnology
AffaMed Therapeutics today announced a definitive merger agreement with fellow Shanghai, China-based biopharmaceutical company EverInsight Therapeutics. 14 October 2020
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