Prescribed Reading: ShiTake a go; Novartis in hot water

Takeda finally secured its takeover of Shire. Elsewhere, Novartis came under fire for payments it made to Trump's lawyer. 

By Lisa LaMotta • May 11, 2018

Lilly adds I/O biotech Armo with $1.6B deal

By adding Armo's late-stage asset to its pipeline, the big pharma aims to bolster its position in immuno-oncology. 

By Lisa LaMotta • May 10, 2018

Ritter taps Medpace as CRO for Phase 3 microbiome study

Bringing on board a CRO moves Ritter a step closer to beginning pivotal trials for its microbiome booster.

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 9, 2018

Digging up the dirt: Roche and Lodo ink soil-based discovery deal

If all milestones are hit, the heavily back-ended deal could eventually be worth almost $1 billion for startup Lodo Therapeutics.

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 9, 2018

Takeda secures Shire takeover with $62B deal

Combined, the companies become a top 10 drugmaker by sales, vaulting over industry giants like AstraZeneca, AbbVie and Gilead.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Updated May 8, 2018

AstraZeneca sells off foreign rights to Seroquel

Chinese pharma Luye will buy the rights to the antipsychotic in 11 countries around the world.

By Lisa LaMotta • May 7, 2018

Sarepta inks muscular dystrophy deal with Myonexus

In exchange for paying $60 million upfront, Sarepta gains rights to five DMD gene therapies including three clinical-stage candidates. 

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 7, 2018

Prescribed Reading: Small deals mark tail end of Q1 earnings

First quarter earnings have largely wrapped up, with no major M&A announced. Several smaller deals, however, sparked investor interest. 

By Lisa LaMotta • May 3, 2018

J&J snaps up oncolytic virus company BeneVir

The buyout strengthens the pharma's foothold in immuno-oncology research, potentially giving it a platform to target solid tumors.

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 3, 2018

Flailing obesity drug company Vivus tries a new tack

Can a new deal, funding and CEO turn around Vivus as its efforts in the obesity market flounder?

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 3, 2018

Biogen rejiggers Alzheimer's drug deal

In a vote of confidence for aducanumab, Biogen has paid $50 million to reduce future royalty rates.

By Suzanne Elvidge • May 2, 2018

Post split talk, Ironwood fights off Denner addition to board

Under pressure to boost profitability, the biotech plans to spin out several pipeline programs and other research into a new, publicly traded company. 

By Lisa LaMotta • Updated May 2, 2018

Q1 earnings preview: Novo, Celgene still to come

A final wave of biopharma earnings is on tap, with updates on pipeline misses and new drug hopes expected.

By Ned Pagliarulo , Lisa LaMotta , Jacob Bell , Randi Hernandez • May 1, 2018

Spark sells regulatory fast pass to Jazz for $110M

Priority review vouchers are still hard to come by, spurring some drugmakers to shell out hundreds of millions to get their hands on one.

By Jacob Bell • April 30, 2018

United Therapeutics nabs competing PAH drug with $216M SteadyMed buy

To curb competition, the specialty pharma is picking up Trevyent in anticipation of its approval some time over the next year.

By Lisa LaMotta • April 30, 2018

M&A volume slumped in Q1, but value spiked from Q4

Four big deals drove a 141% boost in total value from the fourth to first quarter.

By Suzanne Elvidge • April 27, 2018

Shire, Takeda get closer to hammering out a deal

For the first time, the Irish pharma is leaving the door open for a bid from Japan's Takeda.

By Lisa LaMotta • April 25, 2018

Immunotherapies, biosimilars to dominate next week of earnings

AbbVie, Bristol-Myers, Roche and others will report first quarter earnings over the coming days. 

By Ned Pagliarulo , Lisa LaMotta , Jacob Bell • April 24, 2018

Fresenius dumps $4.3B Akorn merger

The German drugmaker contends an internal probe found FDA data breaches, but Akorn denies any wrongdoing.

By Lisa LaMotta • April 23, 2018

Biogen, facing questions, turns again to Ionis in $1B research deal

Tapping the discovery expertise of Ionis, however, may not placate investors eager to see Biogen pad its pipeline with more aggressive dealmaking. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 20, 2018

Prescribed Reading: Shire on the block; FDA flip-flops

There are potentially multiple suitors looking to take out Shire. Elsewhere, the FDA is making surprise reversals.

By Lisa LaMotta • April 20, 2018

ApolloBio picks up I/O therapies for China market

Rising cancer rates in China have drawn the attention of drugmakers, spurring increased R&D for therapies designed for Chinese patients. 

By Suzanne Elvidge • April 20, 2018

Shire rejects $62B offer from Takeda, while Allergan weighs bid

The Irish pharma has spurned three offers from the Japanese drugmaker; and now, Allergan confirms it is considering an offer as well. 

By Lisa LaMotta • Updated April 19, 2018

P&G absorbs German Merck's consumer business for $4B

Merck KGaA's consumer health business rose 6% between 2015 and 2017, making it an attractive asset for P&G, which has struggled to deliver growth.

By Jacob Bell • April 19, 2018

Pushing 'value,' Harvard Pilgrim tests outcomes deals

An agreement with AstraZeneca for the pharma's lung drug Symbicort is the ninth value-based contract publicly announced by the regional insurer.

By Ned Pagliarulo • April 18, 2018