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
Millendo Therapeutics, a University of Michigan, USA, start-up company, says it has acquired French drug developer Alizé Pharma SAS in a stock-based transaction. 20 December 2017
Biotechnology
From a drug development perspective, rare disease specialist Shire should have been struggling in the stock market on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the publication of disappointing results from an important Phase II/III study. 20 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
More than 18 months after US pharma giant Pfizer abandoned plans for a $160 billion acquisition of Ireland-domiciled Allergan, rumors of a merger between the two drugmakers resurfaced on Thursday. 15 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
Dealmakers did not have their busiest month in November, potentially due to companies waiting to see the shape of US President Donald Trump's proposed tax cuts. 12 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
Among last week’s most interesting news were two acquisition deals in the field of immuno-oncology: Gilead Sciences buy of Cell Design Labs and bluebird bio’s takeover of Scottish firm TC BioPharm. Gilead also added to the news flow, in that the first patient has been dosed with its newly-approved lymphoma drug Yescarta by the Moffitt Cancer Center. On the licensing front, Collegium Pharmaceuticals acquired rights to Nucynta and Juno Therapeutics lined up with Eli Lilly, taking the US pharma major into the immuno-oncology arena. 10 December 2017
Biotechnology
Three months after Gilead Sciences bought fellow Californian biotech Kite Pharma, the HCV specialist has bolstered its program of diversification, buying privately-held Cell Design Labs for around half a billion dollars. 8 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
The upward momentum seen in the pharma and biotech sectors during 2017 looks set to continue into 2018, with more novel medicines set to hit the market and investor support for the industry remaining strong. 7 December 2017
Biotechnology
CSL Limited and privately-held Canadian drug developer Vitaeris have entered into a strategic collaboration and purchase option agreement to expedite the development of clazakizumab (an anti-interleukin (IL)6 monoclonal antibody (MAb), formerly ALD518) as a therapeutic option for solid organ transplant rejection. 6 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
Astellas Pharma has exercised its exclusive option right to acquire USA-based Mitobridge under the amended terms of the October 2013 partnership agreement governing their R&D collaboration focused on discovering and developing novel drugs that target mitochondrial function. 5 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
The global life sciences and pharmaceuticals sector is undergoing a wave of strategic M&A activity, as incumbents make acquisitions to enhance the technological capabilities they need to keep pace with the evolution of the industry. 4 December 2017
Pharmaceutical
It was a bad news week for drug trials, with major failures including German drugmaker Merck KGaA’s disappointing results with its immuno-oncology drug Bavencio, negative results for Regeneron’s combination trial of ophthalmic drug Eylea, and Auris Medical’s hearing loss therapy AM-111 flunking in a Phase III study. Attracting attention on the licensing front was Biogen’s acquisition of Alkermes’ multiple sclerosis candidate ALKS 8700, in on the M&A setting, The Medicines Company sales of its antibiotics portfolio to Melinta. 2 December 2017
Generics
In a bid to change direction, formerly Greece-based Pharmathen is now shedding its shedding its business in that country. 30 November 2017
Pharmaceutical
US drugmaker Melinta Therapeutics and The Medicines Company have entered into an agreement whereby Melinta will acquire the infectious disease business from The Medicines Company (TMC). 29 November 2017
Pharmaceutical
Israeli ophthalmics specialist BioLight has announced that it has agreed to sell IOPtima, a developer of minimally-invasive surgical ophthalmic devices specializing in glaucoma, in which the firm has a majority stake. 28 November 2017
Pharmaceutical
AstraZeneca today announced a strategic joint venture with the Chinese Future Industry Investment Fund (FIIF) to form an equally-owned, stand-alone company in China. 27 November 2017
Generics
Taipei-based generics maker TWi Pharmaceuticals has bought Synpac-Kingdom Pharmaceutical (SKP), another generics supplier known for ophthalmic treatments, for NT$1.8 billion ($59.8 million), reports The Pharma Letter’s China correspondent Wang Fangqing. 17 November 2017
Generics
Japanese drugmaker Sawai Pharmaceutical will sell a 20% stake in its US subsidiary (Sawai America) to Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (SCOA), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan's leading general trading houses. 13 November 2017
Generics
US pharma giant Pfizer revealed on Friday that it has sold its 49% equity share in its joint venture, Hisun-Pfizer Pharmaceutical to Sapphire (HK) Holdings Limited. 13 November 2017
Pharmaceutical
In the field of M&A last week, attracting a great deal of attention was debt-ridden Canadian firm Valeant Pharmaceuticals International's sale of its subsidiary Sprout Pharmaceuticals. The regulatory arena saw US Food and Drug Administration approvals for: Roche’s cancer drug Alecensa; Seattle Genetics’ Adcetris for lymphoma; and Dynavax’ hepatitis B drug Heplisav-B. Sage Therapeutics’ Phase III trial of brexanolone in postpartum depressive disorder raised questions on what this would mean for Marinus Pharmaceuticals, and Sanofi’s deal with Principia Biopharma for a novel multiple sclerosis candidate PRN2246 also raised comments. 12 November 2017
Pharmaceutical
Beleaguered Canadian firm Valeant Pharmaceuticals International saw its share price edge up 2.8% to $11.49 in pre-market trading, after it announced that it plans to divest another of the assets that it bought over the past few years. 6 November 2017
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