Deals
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Gene editing
Vertex pays CRISPR to use its gene editing tech for diabetes drugs
Vertex will license CRISPR technology to develop insulin-producing islet cells that are more resistant to immune rejection, adding to other efforts directed at Type 1 diabetes.
By Christopher Newman • March 27, 2023 -
Karuna’s schizophrenia drug success draws a royalty buyer
PureTech Health will sell some of its royalty interest in Karuna’s drug, known as KarXT, after its second successful late-phase trial this week.
By Christopher Newman • March 24, 2023 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Brian Tucker / BioPharma DiveTrendlineBiotech dealmaking
Acquisitions of biotech companies have picked up in recent quarters, suggesting depressed valuations may be facilitating deal conversations. Read this trendline for a look at the factors impacting M&A.
By BioPharma Dive staff -
Illumina, facing Icahn challenge, ‘moving quickly’ on resolution for Grail
The DNA-sequencing company said the activist investor hasn’t offered any better solutions for satisfying regulators’ concerns about the acquisition.
By Susan Kelly • March 20, 2023 -
Jounce gets rival takeover bid from company controlled by shareholder
Tang Capital’s Concentra Biosciences is offering Jounce investors a competing bid to the biotech’s planned reverse merger with Redx Pharma.
By Kristin Jensen • March 15, 2023 -
In Pfizer-Seagen review, FTC has chance to set new pharma precedent
The regulator’s review of the planned $43 billion deal could reveal how it plans to apply a new philosophy toward drugmaker mergers.
By Jonathan Gardner • March 14, 2023 -
Pfizer to buy Seagen in $43B cancer drug deal
The acquisition would give Pfizer control of a top-selling lymphoma drug and a pipeline of medicines that have made the Seattle-based company one of the sector’s most valuable biotechs.
By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated March 13, 2023 -
Canadian royalty investor buys into first-of-its-kind Type 1 diabetes drug
DRI Healthcare, which owns royalties on top-selling drugs like Eylea and Stelara, is paying $100 million for a piece of the Provention Bio drug Tzield that the FDA approved last year.
By Gwendolyn Wu • March 9, 2023 -
Adaptimmune acquires struggling cell therapy rival following layoffs
The planned merger between Adaptimmune and TCR2 will extend their cash runway by two years, as a biotech downturn continues to pressure companies.
By Jonathan Gardner • March 6, 2023 -
Seagen reportedly in sales talks again, this time with Pfizer
Citing people familiar with the talks, The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Pfizer is trying to acquire Seagen and its suite of cancer therapies in a deal that could be worth more than $30 billion.
By Jacob Bell • Feb. 27, 2023 -
Jounce to lay off half its workers, merge with UK biotech Redx
The cancer biotech will combine with Redx Pharma, with the resulting company focusing on Redx’s programs for cancer and fibrotic disease.
By Christopher Newman • Feb. 23, 2023 -
Gene editing
Moderna inks another gene editing deal
The messenger RNA specialist said Wednesday it is teaming up with Life Edit Therapeutics to develop therapies that can modify genes “in vivo.”
By Jacob Bell • Feb. 22, 2023 -
Karuna, hoping to find new brain drugs, buys up a shuttering biotech’s pipeline
Though Goldfinch Bio focused on kidney diseases, Karuna believes its experimental drugs may have potential treating psychiatric and neurological conditions.
By Jacob Bell • Feb. 2, 2023 -
ALS drug development
UniQure nabs another gene therapy for ALS
For $10 million upfront, UniQure has licensed rights to its second experimental treatment for the condition, a medicine from startup Apic Bio that should enter human testing later this year.
By Jacob Bell • Jan. 31, 2023 -
Takeda pays $400M to buy into Hutchmed’s colorectal cancer drug
The deal is the second big licensing deal Takeda has signed in as many months and gives the company rights to a drug Hutchmed began submitting to U.S. regulators in December.
By Christopher Newman • Jan. 23, 2023 -
3 biotech executives on the year ahead: deals, drug pricing and the down market
“What we’re experiencing now is the aftershock of the party that went on for the last three years,” said Ovid CEO Jeremy Levin in a BioPharma Dive panel that included former Sage head Jeff Jonas and biotech entrepreneur Greg Verdine.
By Jacob Bell • Jan. 19, 2023 -
Editas, in next restructuring step, to sell cell therapy work to Shoreline
Shoreline will acquire a preclinical NK cell therapy Editas has been developing, as well as a license to use the CRISPR biotech’s gene editing technology.
By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 19, 2023 -
Sun Pharma to buy Concert, pick up experimental hair loss drug
Sun intends to submit the drug, called deuruxolitinib, for U.S. approval in the first half of this year, following in the footsteps of similar therapies from Pfizer and partners Eli Lilly and Incyte.
By Christopher Newman • Jan. 19, 2023 -
Leap Therapeutics to buy Flame Biosciences in all-stock deal
The deal gives Leap several early-stage drug candidates, including an antibody targeting the protein Claudin 18.2, which has lately drawn several other biotech companies’ interest.
By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 17, 2023 -
JPM23: Vaccine developers as dealmakers, Gilead’s trial tea leaves and building platform companies
Arrakis CEO Michael Gilman discussed platform companies’ central challenge, while Moderna’s Stéphane Bancel and Pfizer’s Albert Bourla hinted at greater dealmaking to come for their companies.
By Jacob Bell , Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • Jan. 10, 2023 -
Trio of biotech buyouts jumpstarts J.P. Morgan healthcare meeting
AstraZeneca is acquiring CinCor Pharma, while Ipsen and Chiesi announced deals to buy rare disease drugmakers Albireo and Amryt Pharma, respectively.
By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 9, 2023 -
Ensoma buys a startup to advance ‘in vivo’ cell therapy work
The Takeda-backed biotech revealed it’s raised $85 million in new funding alongside announcing the acquisition of gene editing startup Twelve Bio.
By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 6, 2023 -
Kenvue, J&J’s consumer health unit, files for an IPO in step toward split
The IPO, which one estimate said could raise as much as $5 billion, is likely to be one of the largest new stock offerings in recent years.
By Delilah Alvarado • Jan. 5, 2023 -
Moderna, becoming a buyer, acquires a synthetic biology specialist
The biotech said its first acquisition, an $85 million purchase of Japanese company OriCiro Genomics, will hand it better tools to make a key building block of messenger RNA.
By Kristin Jensen • Jan. 4, 2023 -
Lilly pays $75M to widen RNA editing deal with ProQR
The expanded deal triples the amount of money the biotech could eventually receive from Lilly and adds several more neurological disease drug targets.
By Christopher Newman • Dec. 22, 2022 -
Jazz pays Zymeworks $325M for HER2 drug rights after positive data
Two months after signing a deal with Zymeworks, Jazz exercised an option for the drug after it showed potential in treating biliary tract cancer.
By Christopher Newman • Dec. 21, 2022