Deals

5 questions facing biotech M&A in 2022

Analysts expect that deal engines are ready to start firing again following the recent quiet period. Still, uncertainty remains about how biopharma acquisitions could play out in the coming months.

By Jacob Bell • Jan. 12, 2022

JPM22: M&A anxiety, Roche's comeback plan and Vir's omicron moment

Pharma executives fielded many questions about their dealmaking intentions on the conference's second day, while Roche outlined its plan to compete against Merck and Bristol Myers in cancer immunotherapy.

By Ben Fidler , Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 11, 2022

Pfizer expands into gene editing with Beam research deal

Pfizer's work with mRNA vaccines led it to explore other applications of the technology, resulting in a multiyear partnership with the high-profile biotech Beam Therapeutics on gene editing treatments for rare diseases.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 10, 2022

Lilly pours more money into genetic treatments for neurological diseases

For $50 million, Lilly has secured rights to a technology that's meant to transport nucleic acid therapies in a way that's more targeted and better tolerated than other methods.

By Jacob Bell • Jan. 6, 2022

Biogen brings in a successor to Spinraza

The company spent $60 million to secure global rights to an experimental drug developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals to treat spinal muscular atrophy.

By Jacob Bell • Jan. 4, 2022

Novartis ups investment in gene therapy for the eye with $800M buyout

The deal for Gyroscope Therapeutics, worth up to $1.5 billion, gives the Swiss pharma access to a treatment for a type of age-related blindness as well as new means of delivering drugs into the eye.

By Jonathan Gardner • Dec. 22, 2021

Sanofi to buy cancer immunotherapy biotech for $1B

The French drugmaker is interested in Amunix Pharmaceuticals' technology, which could allow for more precise delivery of biologic drugs into cancerous tissue.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Dec. 21, 2021

Bristol Myers returns to Immatics for a dual-targeting cancer drug

The pharma has expanded an alliance with a German biotech by paying $150 million for a drug candidate that executives hope can have "cell therapy-like efficacy" for solid tumors. 

By Ben Fidler • Dec. 14, 2021

Arena, completing its turnaround, sells to Pfizer for nearly $7 billion

Pfizer will pay $100 per share to acquire Arena and the portfolio of inflammatory disease medicines it developed in the wake of a disappointing drug launch.

By Ben Fidler • Updated Dec. 13, 2021

Sobi buyout breaks down

Three months after proposing a roughly $8 billion acquisition of Sobi, the investment firms Advent International and GIC have withdrawn their offer.

By Jacob Bell • Dec. 3, 2021

Novartis pays $150M for access to UCB's Parkinson's drug

UCB's experimental pill is one of the most advanced projects that's aimed at blocking accumulation of an abnormal protein in patients' brains.

By Jonathan Gardner • Dec. 2, 2021

GSK sets sights on brain diseases through Oxford partnership

Equipped with $40 million in funding, a new institute from GSK and Oxford will initially focus on developing treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and other neurological conditions.

By Jacob Bell • Dec. 2, 2021

Blueprint, taking aim at larger drugmakers, becomes a biotech buyer

A $250 million acquisition of startup Lengo Therapeutics has given Blueprint a lung cancer drug that could compete with medicines from Takeda and J&J.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 29, 2021

GSK dives into NASH, RNA interference with Arrowhead deal

GSK has secured rights to a genetic medicine in early-stage human testing for NASH, a disease thought to affect millions of people that has proven to be a tough target for drugmakers. 

By Jacob Bell , Ned Pagliarulo • Nov. 23, 2021

Neurocrine stocks up on a biotech's psychiatric drugs

A new deal with Sosei Heptares hands Neurocrine a "broad portfolio" of drugs for schizophrenia, dementia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

By Jacob Bell • Nov. 22, 2021

Gilead pays up to retain rights to Arcus cancer drugs

The biotech will pay $725 million to opt into rights on four experimental medicines developed by Arcus, including ones that could challenge Merck's Keytruda in lung cancer.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 18, 2021

Novo to acquire Dicerna for more than $3B amid RNA drug resurgence

The acquisition would give Novo Nordisk ownership of one of the oldest and largest developers of RNA interference drugs, along with a web of potential royalty streams. 

By Ben Fidler • Updated Nov. 18, 2021

Pfizer buys into Biohaven's fast-selling migraine medicine

The pharmaceutical giant will pay Biohaven $500 million for ex-U.S. rights to rimegepant — a sizable licensing deal, though not the buyout that some of the biotech's investors appeared to be hoping for.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Nov. 9, 2021

Eye-focused gene therapy startup gets $60M cash infusion from Sanofi

Shortly after postponing a $135 million IPO, Gyroscope has found another way to back a treatment for a disease that's become a top target of multiple drugmakers.  

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 8, 2021

Novartis to sell long-held stake in Roche for nearly $21B

Novartis, which paid around $5 billion for its shares two decades ago, says it will gain about $14 billion from its sale and use the proceeds to further its current strategy.

By Jacob Bell • Nov. 4, 2021

Cystic fibrosis group partners with Moderna founder to find better, potentially curative treatments

With an initial investment of $20 million, the collaboration will use technologies from various Flagship-backed companies to discover and develop new therapies for the disease.

By Jacob Bell • Nov. 3, 2021

Intellia looks to eye diseases in latest deal

The gene editing company will take a 10% stake in SparingVision, a young biotech that will use Intellia's CRISPR technology to develop treatments for up to three ocular targets.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 13, 2021

Takeda takes aim at a biotech's gene therapy work

For an upfront payment of $45 million, Takeda gains access to as many as eight programs from Poseida Therapeutics and a potential method of delivering gene therapies without the help of viruses.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 12, 2021

Adamas, Flexion sell for $825M combined as biotech's dealmaking pace picks up

After lagging for months, M&A has accelerated over the past five weeks. The latest evidence comes from two deals based largely on future drug sales.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 11, 2021

Otsuka partners with Sunovion, Sumitomo in neurology drug pact

Sunovion will receive $270 million from Otsuka, and as much as $620 million more, in exchange for splitting rights to four experimental psychiatric drugs.

By Kristin Jensen • Sept. 30, 2021