Novartis Enters the Game With Ubisoft
Last week, an unusual partnership in the health care M&A space hit the headlines. Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS), the global pharmaceutical company, bought Amblyotech, Inc., a software startup that, in collaboration with Ubisoft (OTCMKTS: UBSFF) and McGill University, is developing digital technology for the treatment of amblyopia (lazy eye), a leading cause of vision loss. Ubisoft is a major player in the video game industry and not a company we expected to be treading in the health care market. It owns several development studios worldwide and publishes multiple major video game franchises. Amblyotech uses active gaming and passive video technology with 3-D glasses, training the eyes to... Read More »
Big Pharma Is Back in the Headlines
It looks like some big pharma companies want to get their holiday shopping done early this year. Two transactions with values north of $1 billion were announced in late November, stimulating a sector that’s been relatively quiet the past few months. The first might not come as a surprise since it’s been circling the rumor mill for some time. Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) announced the acquisition of The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: MDCO) for $9.7 billion, or $85 per share. The deal value is comprised of a 24% premium over MDCO’s November 22, 2019 closing price of $68.55, as well as the company’s outstanding stock options and convertible debt. MDCO is focused on treating... Read More »
October 2018 Healthcare Deal Spending Breaks Even
Spending on healthcare deals in the month of October didn’t match the surge in deal volume (see separate post). At $9.4 billion, October 2018 posted a slight 4% gain over September, but was 25% lower than the $12.6 billion spent in October 2017. Of course, we can only go by disclosed prices, and several transactions that did not disclose financial terms would probably boost the month’s total by at least a few billion dollars. H.I.G. Capital’s acquisition of Correct Care Solutions, is a case in point. Co-owners Audax, GTCR and Frazier Healthcare sold Correct Care, which provides medical and behavioral health services for nearly 250,000 patients in 38 U.S. states and in Australia. Only... Read More »
Novartis Bags Cancer Researcher Endocyte
With little fanfare, Swiss drug maker Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) bagged Endocyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECYT) for $2.1 billion, or $24.00 per share. The price represents a 54% premium to Endocyte’s closing price on October 17, 2018, the day before this deal was announced. Endocyte, a biopharmaceutical company based in Indiana, develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company uses drug conjugation technology to develop targeted therapies with companion imaging agents, including one that is a potential first-in-class investigational radioligand therapy (RLT) for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. It’s currently in... Read More »