Intercept, after biotech rollercoaster ride, agrees to buyout by Alfasigma

Once valued at more than $7 billion, the liver drug company couldn’t secure a long-sought FDA approval in NASH and last month said it would abandon that research.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 26, 2023

Roche’s Genentech bets on radiopharmaceuticals in partnership with PeptiDream

The new deal expands on a yearslong partnership between the two drug developers to advance targeted radioisotopes for certain cancers.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 20, 2023

Novartis cancels Beigene partnership as cancer drug gains EU approval

The terminated deal leaves Novartis without a PD-1 inhibitor nine years after Merck’s Keytruda won its first approval.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 19, 2023

Bausch + Lomb seeks funding for eye drug acquisition from Novartis

Fitch Ratings called the deal to buy the Xiidra treatment “strategically sound” even as the company’s plan for funding the deal would increase its leverage.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Sept. 12, 2023

Kriya, flush with funding, buys a gene therapy for NASH

Fresh off a Series C fundraise, Kriya has acquired the privately held Tramotane Therapeutics and its preclinical candidate for the widely prevalent liver disease.

By Kristin Jensen • Sept. 7, 2023

Nestle gives up on peanut allergy treatment after sluggish sales

The FDA-approved therapy, called Palforzia, was little used, leading Nestle to abandon a business it had secured in a $2.6 billion deal three years ago.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 5, 2023

FTC allows Amgen’s $28B deal for Horizon to go through, with conditions

The settlement between Amgen and the FTC may reassure those in the industry who feared a more activist regulator would gum up dealmaking.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 1, 2023

Novo, continuing deal streak, buys another obesity drug startup

The acquisition of Embark Biotech, which Novo helped found, gives the company another prospect to add to its arsenal of weight-loss medicines.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 30, 2023

FTC pulls back on legal challenge to Amgen’s $28B bid for Horizon

Urged by a judge, the antitrust regulator said it wants to start discussions “regarding the proper resolution of this matter” — a potential prelude to a settlement.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 28, 2023

Danaher to buy antibody supplier Abcam for $5.7B

The acquisition gives Danaher ownership of a producer of research tools, such as antibodies and reagents, that are used in drug discovery experiments.

By Elise Reuter • Aug. 28, 2023

Royalty Pharma buys into Ferring’s cancer treatment in first gene therapy deal

The deal, worth up to $500 million, is a bet by the drug rights dealmaker on the uncertain commercial prospects of Ferring's gene therapy Adstiladrin.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Aug. 24, 2023

Genesis raises $200 million for AI drug discovery research

The Series B round brings the total funding for Genesis, a California startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Nvidia’s VC arm, to over $280 million.

By Delilah Alvarado • Aug. 21, 2023

Illumina faces SEC probe over Grail acquisition

The regulator has asked for documents tied to the 2021 deal as well as to the conduct and compensation of Illumina and Grail management.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 14, 2023

Novo adds another obesity drug in $1B deal for startup Inversago

The acquisition follows a similar-sized, obesity-focused buyout by Eli Lilly last month and hands Novo a weight-loss medicine already in mid-stage testing. 

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 10, 2023

Regeneron ups genetic medicine investment with Decibel buyout

Third Rock-founded Decibel, which has shed much of its value since a 2021 IPO, expected to run out of money within a year.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 9, 2023

Ikena acquires cancer startup Pionyr after Gilead passes on buyout

The all-stock deal comes months after Gilead waived an option to buy Pionyr, and gives Ikena some needed breathing room in a tough market.

By Delilah Alvarado • Aug. 7, 2023

Agios turns to Alnylam for help with rare disease push

The biotech is acquiring rights to an RNA interference medicine Alnylam invented for a rare blood disorder, continuing a corporate makeover that began in 2020. 

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 3, 2023

TG shares tumble following licensing deal for MS drug

Some on Wall Street believe the New York-based biotechnology company is now less likely to get acquired after agreeing to sell partial rights to its only marketed product.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 1, 2023

EQRx to sell to Revolution Medicines after failed bid to upend US drug pricing

The all-stock deal is a quiet end for the ambitious biotech, which was sold for its billion-dollar bank account after the FDA derailed its plans to develop low-cost cancer medicines.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 1, 2023

Biogen to acquire rare disease drugmaker Reata for $7.3B

The deal is a major bet by Biogen and its new CEO Chris Viehbacher, who’s reorganized R&D, cut costs and laid off staff since becoming company head last year.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated July 28, 2023

AstraZeneca buys Pfizer’s early gene therapy work for up to $1B

The British pharma is deepening its investment in genetic medicine through a deal for a group of Pfizer’s gene therapy delivery tools, while the New York giant cuts back. 

By Ben Fidler • July 28, 2023

New antitrust merger guidelines could have chilling effect on healthcare deals

Regulators have historically struggled to halt complex and non-traditional tie-ups. That could change with new guidelines, as the Biden administration scrutinizes healthcare M&A, antitrust experts said.

By Rebecca Pifer • July 21, 2023

Sanofi, searching for new immune system drugs, partners with a young biotech

The deal with Recludix Pharma carries a $125 million near-term payment and specifically revolves around a “STAT6,” a protein that research suggests plays a role in some respiratory and skin disorders.

By Jacob Bell • July 20, 2023

Pfizer, Flagship join forces to hunt for 10 new drugs

The unusual research alliance involves the startup creator’s Pioneering Medicines initiative, which previously struck pacts with Novo Nordisk and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

By Gwendolyn Wu • July 18, 2023

Sanofi expands research deal with gene editing startup Scribe

Scribe will receive $40 million upfront from Sanofi in a collaboration initially focused on developing an in vivo gene editing treatment for sickle cell disease.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Updated July 17, 2023