Deals

Exact Sciences, challenging Illumina, to buy cancer screening company Thrive

The deal, worth up to $2.15 billion, comes weeks after Illumina agreed to pay $8 billion to acquire liquid biopsy developer Grail.

By Nick Paul Taylor , Maria Rachal • UPDATED: Oct. 27, 2020 at 12:12 p.m.

Bayer to buy AskBio for $2B in bid to become a gene therapy player

Founded by gene therapy pioneer Jude Samulski, AskBio boasts a pipeline of experimental gene therapies as well as its own manufacturing capabilities.

By Ben Fidler • UPDATED: Oct. 26, 2020 at 11:55 a.m.

Roche joins the COVID-19 antiviral drug race, betting $350M on a startup

A deal with Atea Pharmaceuticals gives Roche rights to an oral antiviral for coronavirus disease that would compete with emerging therapies from Pfizer and Merck.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 22, 2020

Ex-Medivation team nets $500M to take their new cancer drugmaker to Wall Street

Nuvation Bio, a large oncology startup run by former Medivation executives, is capitalizing on a boom in mergers with so-called special purpose acquisition company, or SPACs.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 21, 2020

With approval in sight, Vifor expands deal for partner's anti-itch drug

The company could pay as much as $440 million through a new licensing pact that gives it more commercial rights to a therapy developed by Cara Therapeutics.

By Kristin Jensen • Oct. 20, 2020

Lilly wagers $135M on a startup's plan to stop neurodegeneration

The drugmaker is acquiring Disarm Therapeutics, which was formed based on research into a specific enzyme's central role in the breakdown of axons.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 15, 2020

Roche, aiming to make better gene therapies, turns to an emerging startup

The Swiss pharma is the third large drugmaker to partner with Harvard spinout Dyno Therapeutics, a small biotech aiming to improve gene therapy technology.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 14, 2020

Column

Pharmacquired: Splashy deals belie a shallow pool of heart drugs left to acquire

Recent deals for MyoKardia and The Medicines Co. may be hard to follow, since venture investors and big pharma acquirers have largely ignored cardiovascular drugs.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 08, 2020

With a sweetened offer, BridgeBio plans to reel in a subsidiary

After an unsuccessful buyout attempt in 2019, BridgeBio aims to acquire the roughly one-third of Eidos Therapeutics that it doesn't already own.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 05, 2020

Bristol Myers to buy MyoKardia in $13B bet on targeted drugs for the heart

The buyout validates MyoKardia, which parted ways with partner Sanofi in early 2019 and then saw its top medicine succeed in a late-stage study this May.

By Ben Fidler • Oct. 05, 2020

Private equity-backed Covis to buy AMAG Pharma in $650M deal

The deal values AMAG shares at a 46% premium to their closing price Wednesday, boosting a company that's struggled through a series of setbacks. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Oct. 01, 2020

Pfizer pushes deeper into China with stake in cancer biotech

The $200 million investment in CStone Pharmaceuticals puts Pfizer in charge of selling a cancer immunotherapy in the world's second largest drug market.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 30, 2020

Roche buys Inflazome as pharma interest in targeting inflammation grows

The wide-ranging role of an inflammatory protein known as NLRP3 has made it a hot drug target — particularly for Roche, which has now bought two startups developing drugs to block it.

By Ben Fidler • Sept. 21, 2020

Illumina buys spinout Grail, betting $8B on the future of cancer screening

The acquisition, announced shortly before a planned IPO by Grail, establishes sequencing giant Illumina as a major player in the chase to use blood tests to catch cancers early. Wall Street, however, isn't sold on the deal.

By Nick Paul Taylor , Greg Slabodkin • Sept. 21, 2020

Merck pays Seattle Genetics $1.7B as antibody cancer drugs continue comeback

Merck's deal for Seattle Genetics' antibody-drug conjugate comes as Gilead agreed to acquire rival developer Immunomedics in the biotech industry's largest buyout of 2020.

By Ben Fidler • Sept. 14, 2020

Gilead to buy cancer drugmaker Immunomedics for $21B

The acquisition caps an active year of dealmaking for Gilead, which under CEO Daniel O'Day aims to become as well known for its cancer drugs as its HIV and hepatitis C medicines. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • UPDATED: Sept. 14, 2020 at 9:39 a.m.

AbbVie wagers up to $2B on a Chinese biotech's cancer drug

The licensing deal hands AbbVie exclusive rights to a drug targeting CD47, a protein that has caught the attention of drugmakers like Gilead and Celgene.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 04, 2020

Gilead deal reignites optimism in a cancer biotech

A year after Jounce Therapeutics and Celgene ended a wide-ranging alliance, Gilead has teamed up with the Massachusetts biotech.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 01, 2020

Ionis, changing its strategy, reels its spinoff back in

Reversing course on plans to rely on others to sell its drugs, the biotech will spend about half a billion dollars to acquire its own spinoff, Akcea.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 31, 2020

Nestlé buys the rest of Aimmune, aiming to boost a struggling peanut allergy treatment

The Swiss firm will take over the launch of Aimmune's Palforzia, sales of which have disappointed since its approval in January.  

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 31, 2020

Proteostasis bows out of cystic fibrosis drugmaking through Yumanity merger

The biotech's plans to challenge Vertex Pharmaceuticals have fallen short, leading to a merger with a neuroscience-focused startup. 

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 24, 2020

Momenta shift to new drugs pays off with $6.5B buyout by J&J

Once a leader in biosimilar development, Momenta pivoted toward developing treatments for autoimmune diseases, including one that drew J&J's interest.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 19, 2020

Lilly doubles down on Innovent cancer drug in immunotherapy push

The Indianapolis pharma paid $200 million to gain most of the rights to Tyvyt, a checkpoint blocker that could help it compete with Merck, Roche and others.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 18, 2020

Gilead expands Tango alliance, continuing a busy year of cancer deals

A $145 million payment to broaden a partnership with Tango Therapeutics is the latest in a series of deals Gilead has made to grow its oncology business.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 18, 2020

Aiming for immunotherapy boost, Bristol Myers deepens ties with Dragonfly

For $475 million in near-term cash, Bristol Myers will get access to an immunotherapy based on technology that's drawn interest from rival Merck.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 17, 2020