GSK Divests Two Travel Vaccines

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 »
Merck Buys Immunotherapy Firm Immune Design

Merck Buys Immunotherapy Firm Immune Design

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), the global healthcare and pharmaceutical company, has acquired Immune Design (NASDAQ: IMDZ) for $300 million. Merck will buy all outstanding shares of Immune Design at a value of $5.85 per share. With reported revenue of only $2 million, Immune Design’s price tag equals close to a 136x EBITDA multiple. Out of this deal, Merck will gain key intellectual properties from Immune Design: GLAAS and ZVex. These properties can potentially activate the immune system’s natural ability to generate and expand immune cells to fight cancer and other chronic diseases. The acquisition of Immune Design highlights the demand for immunotherapy platforms and... Read More »
GlaxoSmithKline builds immunotherapy pipeline with new collaboration

GlaxoSmithKline builds immunotherapy pipeline with new collaboration

GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE: GSK) (GSK) has entered into a collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to study M7824, an investigational bifunctional fusion protein immunotherapy that is currently in clinical development for multiple difficult-to-treat cancers. Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will pay Merck KGaA $342.3 million (€300 million) upfront. Merck KGaA is also eligible for up to $3.31 billion (€2.9 billion) in milestone payments. The potential deal value could amount to $4.23 billion (€3.7 billion).  Both companies will jointly conduct development and commercialization with all profits and costs from the collaboration being shared equally on a global basis.... Read More »