GSK Divests Two Travel Vaccines
GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE: GSK) announced recently it is selling two travel vaccines to Bavarian Nordic for $334.7 million upfront, plus a potential $1.06 billion in milestone payments. The sale included rabies vaccine Rabipur (tradename Rabavert in the United States) and Encepur, for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis. GSK obtained the vaccines as part of a 2015 deal with Novartis (NYSE: NVS). GSK divested its oncology business to Novartis for $300 million and gained the vaccines in return. According to the company’s annual report, GSK generated $7.58 billion from its vaccine segment in 2018. Both vaccines will continue to be manufactured primarily at GSK’s Marburg site in... Read More »
Sobi Grows Product Portfolio With 2nd Deal
Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (STO: SOBI), an international specialty healthcare company dedicated to rare diseases, announced its acquisition of Dova Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $867.7 million (65.3x revenue), or 27$ per share. Dova acquires, develops and commercializes drug candidates for diseases such as thrombocytopenia, a condition that leaves an individual with a low blood platelet count. Its primary candidate, Doptelet, is pending approval for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). A CVR worth $1.50 per share will be granted if Doptelet is approved, totaling a potential $915 million. An indirect subsidiary of Sobi is acquiring Dove to bolster its hematology and... Read More »
Alder BioPharmaceuticals Merges with H. Lundbeck in $1.95 Billion Deal
H. Lundbeck A/S (OMX: LUN), the specialty pharmaceutical giant based in Denmark, announced its first acquisition in over a year. The company revealed it was buying Alder BioPharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALDR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming migraine treatment through the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutic antibodies. One product candidate is ALD1910, a monoclonal antibody for migraine prevention. Lundbeck gains Alder’s eptinezumab product, an investigational monoclonal antibody for migraine prevention that it will develop and launch worldwide in the upcoming years. Lundbeck expects to see significant growth in its brain... Read More »
Gene-Editing Firm Semma Acquired by Vertex
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: VRTX) purchased another gene-editing biotech company last week, marking its fourth announced transaction of 2019. The pharmaceutical giant bought Semma Therapeutics for $950 million in an all-cash transaction for all of the company’s outstanding shares. Semma leverages stem cell-derived human islets to research potentially cures for type 1 diabetes. The biotech firm will become a separate operating subsidiary of Vertex and executives of Semma will join Vertex and remain in leadership positions at Semma. After a hiatus in 2018, Vertex has been on a shopping spree this year to build its gene-editing platform and capabilities for various... Read More »
Celgene Sells Otezla to Advance its Sale to Bristol-Myers Squibb
Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) has agreed to take Otezla (apremilast) off of Celgene Corporation’s (NASDAQ: CELG) hands. The Federal Trade Commission ruled the drug had to be divested due to concerns over competition with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (NYSE: BMY) pipeline. Bristol-Myers announced it was buying Celgene last January for $74 billion. In this deal, Amgen gains the worldwide rights to Otezla, the only oral, non-biologic treatment for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and certain related assets and liabilities. Sales of Otezla in 2018 were $1.6 billion and the drug has intellectual property exclusivity in the United States at least through 2028. Amgen will pay $13.4 billion in cash,... Read More »Schedule a demo
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