Deals
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Sanofi, Regeneron broaden alliance to find their next Dupixent
The deal carries a $1 billion upfront payment and tasks the two companies to develop long-acting antibody drugs that go after the same targets as their blockbuster anti-inflammation agent.
By Jacob Bell • Oct. 1, 2026 -
Obesity drugs
Novo to pay Hengrui up to $2.6B for a once-weekly obesity pill
The deal, which hands Novo a challenger to Lilly’s market-leading Zepbound, comes as the Danish drugmaker looks to calm investor fears about its future.
By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 29, 2026 -
AstraZeneca invests $2B in Summit, gaining ‘seat at the table’ for PD-1/VEGF drug push
The equity investment comes alongside a deal to test Summit’s ivonescimab alongside potentially many AstraZeneca drugs — but doesn’t hand the pharmaceutical company any ownership rights.
By Ben Fidler • Sept. 29, 2026 -
Telix buys ITM in bid to create a ‘radiopharmaceutical powerhouse’
Worth $1.65 billion up front, the deal combines two large pipelines and manufacturing networks, helping Telix potentially “corner the industry” for radiopharmaceuticals, one analyst wrote.
By Ben Fidler • Sept. 21, 2026 -
Obesity drugs
Novo partners with Orbis, deepening investment in oral peptide drugs
The potentially $1.4 billion alliance will see the two companies collaborate on “macrocycles” that could yield oral treatments for cardiometabolic diseases.
By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 17, 2026 -
Novartis to pay $125M for blood-brain barrier crossing platform
Proceeds from the deal, which hands Novartis global rights to a technology developed by Sironax, will help advance three candidates that the startup says have “best-in-class” potential.
By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 16, 2026 -
This week in charts: RA’s insatiable appetite, Novartis’ big slide and a reverse merger spree
RA Capital has already participated in four biotech financings in September. Meanwhile, Janus Henderson has been the year's most prolific backer of biotech reverse merger deals, according to Gilmartin Group.
By Jacob Bell • Sept. 11, 2026 -
Deep Dive
A booming business on Wall Street would love more biotechs to quietly die
Once disparaged, reverse mergers have become so popular that some deal experts question whether there are enough quality shell companies to meet the demand.
By Jacob Bell • Sept. 10, 2026 -
This week in charts: China deals, stock flatlines and Lilly’s M&A spree
Deals with Chinese drugmakers are continuing at a steady pace, while two mid-cap biotechs' stock prices took a tumble this week. Meanwhile, Lilly has outpaced other pharmas in dealmaking this year.
By Gwendolyn Wu • Sept. 4, 2026 -
China competition
GSK wagers up to $1.3B on a different kind of cancer drug
With its latest foray into China, GSK acquired rights from Hutchmed to an “antibody-targeted therapy conjugate” impacting two well-known cancer drivers, EGFR and KRAS.
By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 3, 2026 -
Trump administration
Mid-cap biotechs join Trump’s latest round of drug pricing deals
Focused on Medicaid, the new pacts now involve more than just large pharmaceutical companies, but still aren’t expected to meaningfully impact drugmaker profits.
By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 1, 2026 -
Lilly adds to immune drug pipeline with $2.9B Merida buyout
The big drugmaker’s latest company acquisition this year is centered around a technology designed to degrade proteins that malfunction in autoimmune disorders.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 31, 2026 -
Biohaven trades cash for ‘upside’ with $795M epilepsy drug deal
Faced with a dwindling bank account after a series of research setbacks, Biohaven is letting go of its most advanced experimental drug in a deal one analyst viewed as a “surprising” transaction.
By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 26, 2026 -
Obesity drugs
Roche commits to lean-mass preservation with Hanmi obesity deal
For $190 million up front and as much as $2.3 billion overall, the Swiss drugmaker is building its portfolio with a shot that aims to spur weight loss but spare muscle tissue.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 24, 2026 -
BioMarin acquires experimental drug for rare bone disorder in $275M deal
The Alesta buyout helps restock BioMarin's pipeline with an asset it says could “reach our largest addressable patient population,” joining other muscle and skeletal disease treatments in development.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 18, 2026 -
News roundup
AstraZeneca scores in lung cancer; Sandoz inks a China deal
A combination of AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso and Hutchmed’s Orpathys extended survival for some lung cancer patients. Elsewhere, MapLight floated the idea of partnering on its autism drug.
By BioPharma Dive staff • Aug. 18, 2026 -
Leo Pharma buys rare skin disease drug in $435M deal
Tanabe Pharma has already asked the FDA to approve the medicine for two conditions that cause severe reactions to sunlight.
By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 18, 2026 -
Slate, Fulcrum to combine in reverse merger
Fulcrum announced in June it would seek strategic alternatives after U.S. regulators expressed concern over the viability of its sickle cell drug.
By Gwendolyn Wu • Aug. 17, 2026 -
PTC takes a chance on Sangamo’s Fabry disease gene therapy
Wall Street analysts view the deal as a risky, high-reward bet on a treatment that’s nearing a possible regulatory approval and could be superior to existing medications.
By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 13, 2026 -
Startup launches
Ex-Legend CEO takes helm at biotech startup scouring the globe for drugs
Ying Huang is now running K2 Therapeutics, which has licensed multiple prospects from China-based biotechs and is searching for more “high-potential” medicines.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 11, 2026 -
Jazz to buy rare epilepsy drugmaker in potentially $1.3B deal
Actio Biosciences, which will receive $820 million up front in the deal, adds to a major upswing in private biotech buyouts seen throughout this year.
By Jacob Bell • Aug. 10, 2026 -
Emerging biotech
Alkeus, an unorthodox eye drug startup, acquired by Tarsus for up to $800M
Alkeus brought to late-stage testing a Stargardt disease therapy that former executive chairman and Vertex founder Josh Boger once called, “if it works, the most perfect drug I’ve ever seen.”
By Ben Fidler • Aug. 6, 2026 -
An AstraZeneca-Bristol Myers megamerger? Wall Street isn’t thrilled.
In fact, the former lost tens of billions of dollars in market value following reports of a potential tie-up between the pharmaceutical giants.
By Jacob Bell • Aug. 3, 2026 -
Supernus, Indivior merge to beef up brain drug portfolio
The transaction combines two companies marketing nearly a dozen neurological drugs that bring in steady, but not blockbuster sales for conditions such as opioid use disorder and Parkinson's.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 3, 2026 -
Emerging biotech
J&J nabs option to buy ‘in vivo’ CAR-T maker Sail for nearly $2.6B
The deal with the buzzy Flagship Pioneering-backed startup makes J&J the latest large drugmaker to bet that the technology might be able to treat autoimmune conditions.
By Gwendolyn Wu • July 30, 2026