CureVac grabs $213M in US IPO, adding to year's record pace

Biotechs have raised nearly $10 billion from 45 initial public offerings this year, with CureVac's fueling the development of a coronavirus vaccine.

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 14, 2020

Bayer, contrasting pharma peers, builds up women's health business with $425M deal

Acquiring KaNDy Therapeutics hands Bayer an experimental menopause drug that, according to the company, could become a blockbuster product.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 11, 2020

A hedge fund bets on a biotech startup to bring new drugs to China

The unusual startup already has partial rights to multiple drugs developed by MyoKardia and affiliates of BridgeBio, and plans to acquire many more. 

By Ben Fidler • Aug. 11, 2020

Biogen makes a billion-dollar bet on Parkinson's drugs

In one of its biggest deals to date, Biogen plans to take an equity stake in Denali Therapeutics to gain access to new treatments for Parkinson's disease.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 6, 2020

US to pay $1B to stock up on J&J's coronavirus vaccine

The agreement, which would supply the U.S. with 100 million doses of J&J's experimental shot, is the latest in a string of deals the country has reached with vaccine developers.

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 5, 2020

Sangamo, Novartis team up to develop genetic medicines for autism, other brain disorders

The deal, which hands Sangamo $75 million upfront, is the second pharma partnership the biotech has signed this year to focus on brain disease drugs.

By Kristin Jensen • July 30, 2020

AstraZeneca turns again to Daiichi Sankyo for a major cancer drug deal

The British pharma will pay Daiichi $1 billion to split rights to an experimental antibody-drug conjugate in a deal similar to the 2019 agreement that bought it the breast cancer drug Enhertu.

By Ned Pagliarulo • July 27, 2020

Moderna, pacing a global vaccine race, loses a key patent fight

A patent board ruled that Arbutus Biopharma invented a technology Moderna uses to deliver its vaccines, which may have implications for its industry-leading coronavirus shot. 

By Jonathan Gardner • July 24, 2020

EQRx, gearing up for a price war with big pharma, buys two cancer drugs

The unusual startup aims to speed potential rivals to blockbuster medicines Ibrance and Tagrisso to market and price them at a "small fraction" of the cost, CEO Alexis Borisy told BioPharma Dive.

By Ben Fidler • July 23, 2020

Gilead adds to string of cancer drug deals with Tizona stake

An upfront payment of $300 million gives Gilead a nearly 50% stake in Tizona Therapeutics and the exclusive option to acquire it later, depending on how promising the biotech's immunotherapy looks.

By Jacob Bell • July 21, 2020

GSK invests in mRNA vaccines through deal with CureVac

While CureVac's coronavirus work is excluded from the deal, GSK said the biotech's platform should complement its existing vaccine technology and provide greater access to manufacturing.

By Jacob Bell • July 20, 2020

Sanofi, on the lookout for acquisitions, may have spotted a target

A Bloomberg report names Principia Biopharma, a biotech with an existing partnership with Sanofi, among the U.S. companies that the French pharma is evaluating for possible deals.

By Jacob Bell • July 17, 2020

Blueprint, eyeing an independent future, gets $775M in new Roche alliance

The deal, which gives Roche rights to Blueprint's lead drug pralsetinib, is another bet by the Swiss drugmaker on targeted cancer therapies.

By Ben Fidler • Updated July 14, 2020

Blackstone caps off private equity's largest-ever life sciences fund

At $4.6 billion, the fund signals that one of the most powerful groups in private equity sees strong demand for biotech investment. 

By Jacob Bell • July 10, 2020

In a surprise, UniQure sells its hemophilia gene therapy for $450M

The licensing deal with CSL Behring is one of the largest for a gene therapy, but the partnership could make a buyout of the Dutch firm less likely. 

By Ben Fidler • June 25, 2020

By $4M, La Jolla outbids Melinta for struggling Tetraphase

La Jolla's cash offer is the third attempt to take out Tetraphase, an antibiotic specialist once valued at nearly $2 billion but now worth less than $20 million.

By Jonathan Gardner • June 24, 2020

Merck strikes another neuroscience deal, tapping Yumanity for 2 brain drugs

The pharma hasn't invested much in neuroscience since its Alzheimer's drug plans unraveled in 2017. Three deals in the past year, however, should help keep its options open.

By Ben Fidler • June 24, 2020

Gilead, in latest cancer bet, puts $275M into immunotherapy startup Pionyr

The drugmaker's investment in California-based Pionyr follows other recent cancer-focused deals with Forty Seven and Arcus Biosciences.

By Jonathan Gardner • June 23, 2020

Sarepta tries to fine-tune its gene therapy approach

Research deals with Codiak Biosciences and Selecta Biosciences could help Sarepta work around a key challenge in gene therapy development.

By Jacob Bell • June 22, 2020

AbbVie puts $60M into ex-Dendreon CEO's company in autoimmune drug pact

The deal gives AbbVie an option to license a drug Alpine Immune Sciences — a company run by one-time Dendreon CEO Mitch Gold — is developing for autoimmune diseases.

By Ben Fidler • June 18, 2020

Neurocrine bets $2B on Takeda's psychiatry drugs

The deal provides Neurocrine with three clinical-stage drugs and a more diversified pipeline, while Takeda gets more bandwidth to work on its other neuroscience projects.

By Jacob Bell • June 16, 2020

CureVac gets German backing for coronavirus vaccine, but says it's independent

An investment of 300 million Euros gives the German government a 23% stake in CureVac, but won't grant the country exclusive national rights to a vaccine nearing human testing.

By Jonathan Gardner • June 15, 2020

AbbVie hands Genmab $750M in latest bid to grow cancer drug business

Best known for Humira, AbbVie has made a concerted effort to build its cancer drugs business, with mixed results. The Genmab alliance could take the Illinois drugmaker in a new direction.

By Ben Fidler • June 10, 2020

China's Innovent buys rights to Roche cancer technology

The deal covers research into cell therapies and bispecific antibodies, and grants Roche an option to develop any resulting product outside of China.

By Jonathan Gardner • June 9, 2020

Fresh off ASCO myeloma data, Legend Bio gets $424M in biotech's biggest IPO of 2020

The China-based cell therapy developer, whose myeloma therapy is a rival to one from Bristol Myers and Bluebird, outraised this year's previous top initial biotech stock offering.

By Ben Fidler • June 5, 2020