UCB bets more on rare disease drugs with Ra Pharma acquisition

The $2.5 billion deal hands UCB another late-stage drug for generalized myasthenia gravis, a disease area dominated by Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 10, 2019

Feeling pressure in hemophilia, Novo signs gene editing deal with Bluebird

The deal may come too late, though, as the launch of Hemlibra and approach of gene therapies dampens demand for Novo's factor replacement therapies.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 9, 2019

Akcea inks deal with Pfizer, rebounding after leadership shuffle

Two weeks after a mass C-suite departure, a $250 million payment from Pfizer shored up Akcea's finances and enlivened investors in the Ionis affiliate.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 7, 2019

Sobi finds another fit for its dealmaking strategy

The rare disease drugmaker plans to acquire Dova Pharmaceuticals and its blood medicine Doptelet for up to $915 million.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 30, 2019

Clovis shares plunge after downgrade raises questions on path forward

A Wall Street analyst was skeptical of a preclinical deal that adds R&D costs while the company fights for market share in ovarian cancer.

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 24, 2019

Alder's migraine drug attracted plenty of dealmakers. The company, not so much

A new regulatory filing affirms the theory that, in neuroscience, risk-sharing partnerships are more appealing than all-out acquisitions.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 24, 2019

Lundbeck buys into migraine, acquiring Alder for $2B

The Danish pharma has blockbuster ambitions for Alder's CGRP drug, but the already competitive migraine market is poised to become more so next year.

By Andrew Dunn • Sept. 16, 2019

Vertex makes headway in UK reimbursement

Scotland has agreed to cover two Vertex drugs, Orkambi and Symkevi, which may bode well for resolving a dispute over the company's prices.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 12, 2019

Reata's new CFO on M&A, weathering a recession and biotech's quirks

Manmeet Soni helped execute multi-billion dollar sales as CFO of Ariad and Pharmacyclics. He's now moving from Alnylam to a small, Texas-based biotech.

By Andrew Dunn • Sept. 12, 2019

Drug companies pay for exclusive access to UK genetic data

Amgen, AstraZeneca, GSK and J&J will get nine months to pour over the first wave of whole genome data coming out of UK Biobank before the global research community gets a chance to look.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 11, 2019

Sanofi paying Lexicon $260M to exit diabetes alliance

Lexicon had argued Sanofi violated the companies' contract when providing notice in July that it would terminate a research partnership on Zynquista.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 11, 2019

Roivant offloads biotech stakes in $3B alliance with Japanese pharma

The deal transfers ownership in five Roivant subsidiaries to Sumitomo Dainippon, along with a stake in Vivek Ramaswamy's parent company. 

By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 6, 2019

With third pharma deal, IFM's unorthodox approach paying off

An inflammatory disease partnership with Novartis is IFM's second this year with the Swiss pharma and follows a 2017 deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Sept. 5, 2019

Celltrion taps Lonza to produce some of its Remicade biosimilar

Under the deal, Lonza will make Remsima drug substance at its commercial facility in Singapore to cover European and North American markets.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 5, 2019

Pharmacquired: Vertex has an appetite for deals. Gene therapy is on the menu

CEO Jeffrey Leiden told BioPharma Dive that one or two gene therapy deals wouldn't be surprising as the biotech builds out what he calls its tool kit of technologies.

By Jacob Bell • Sept. 5, 2019

Vertex to buy preclinical biotech for $950M, searching a Type 1 diabetes cure

Acquiring Semma Therapeutics fulfills CEO Jeffrey Leiden's promise that Vertex would explore "potentially larger" deals than it's done in the past.

By Andrew Dunn • Sept. 3, 2019

Catalent's legacy business outshined by acquisitions

The recent additions of Cook Pharmica, Juniper and Paragon are driving more revenue growth than the contract manufacturer's base business. 

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 29, 2019

Immatics shows Celgene isn't done stocking cell therapy pipeline

As its takeover by Bristol-Myers nears closing, Celgene is committing $75 million to research into T-cell redirecting technology.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 28, 2019

Zogenix buys Modis for $250M, building out rare disease pipeline

Modis Therapeutics, a private California-based biotech, is developing a drug for an ultra-rare neuromuscular disorder with no approved treatments.

By Andrew Dunn • Aug. 26, 2019

Amgen buying Celgene's Otezla in $13B deal

The acquisition, which gives Amgen a complement to its top-seller Enbrel, is the biotech's largest since a 2002 deal to buy Immunex.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated Aug. 26, 2019

Meet the protein responsible for nearly $100B in cancer drug deals

Kinase-inhibiting drugs like Vitrakvi, Imbruvica and Rozlytrek were at the heart of 20 M&A deals over the past decade, according to a new SVB Leerink report.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 16, 2019

Pharming deal shows there's still life in struggling cancer drug class

For $20 million, the Netherlands-based company gets access to leniolisib, a PI3K inhibitor developed by Novartis.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 15, 2019

Bayer buys rest of BlueRock, broadening cell therapy bet

The German pharma will pay $240 million upfront in a deal that values the cell therapy biotech at $1 billion. 

By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 8, 2019

Dupixent brings long-awaited profits to Sanofi, Regeneron partnership

A 12-year antibody collaboration generated three approved drugs but, up until now, has never been profitable on a quarterly basis.

By Jacob Bell • Aug. 6, 2019

Novo buys North Carolina plant from Purdue

Located near Novo's sprawling Clayton site, Purdue's facility gives the buyer capacity to manufacture oral drugs like its experimental version of semaglutide.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Aug. 6, 2019