Gilead Sciences has plans to acquire Ouro Medicines based in South San Francisco, California. The transaction, which was announced on March 24, includes an upfront payment of approximately $1.68 billion, along with up to $500 million in milestone-based payments linked to development and regulatory progress.
Ouro Medicines is a privately held biotechnology company. Ouro’s lead investigational antibody therapy, OM336, is currently in early-stage development for autoimmune conditions, including hemolytic anemia and Sjogren’s disease.
Gilead Sciences is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines in areas of unmet medical need. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.
Gilead stated that the acquisition is aimed at strengthening its pipeline in immune-mediated diseases. The company is also in discussions with Galapagos NV regarding potential collaboration on the development of Ouro’s assets. Under the proposed arrangement, Galapagos would share development costs and milestone payments, while Gilead would retain global commercialization rights, excluding Greater China.
According to data captured in the LevinPro HC database, this deal marks the 28th Biotechnology acquisition of the year. This also represents the largest Biotechnology deal by purchase price announced since January 1, 2026. The largest deal by purchase price announced in the specialty this year is Gilead’s $7.8 billion acquisition of Arcellx, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on delivering a new class of immunotherapies for patients with cancer and other incurable diseases. Gilead announced that deal in February 2026. There were 136 Biotechnology acquisitions reported in 2025, and 139 announced in 2024.
