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➔

Biotech 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

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

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