Pharma M&A Is all about Options

by | May 11, 2016 8:42 am | Pharmaceuticals

The days of mega-mergers in the pharmaceutical sector aren’t necessarily over, but those deals will be fewer and farther between, going forward. Nearly 60 deals have been announced in 2016 through the middle of May, and just 17 have an entire company as the target. The largest, so far, is Shire’s (NASDAQ: SHPG) $32 billion takeover of Baxalta (NYSE: BXLT), announced in January. The rest are either collaborations on product candidates, rights or license deals for marketed products or clinical-stage candidates, even the rights to royalties. That’s Royalty Pharma’s $1.1 billion deal for the royalty interest in Xtandi, which is being sold by a co-owner, UCLA, where... Read More »

Biggest Health Care Deals in January 2016

by | Feb 4, 2016 8:00 am | Behavioral Health Care, Laboratories, MRI & Dialysis, Pharmaceuticals

The pace of health care mergers and acquisitions slowed considerably in January 2016. In part, that’s due to the rush to get business off the books by the end of the calendar year, which is why fourth quarters are usually so busy. This year we’ve counted about 95 transactions announced in January, which is 32% lower than December 2015’s total, and 29% below January 2014. Thanks to Shire plc’s (NASDAQ: SHPG) $32 billion deal for Baxalta Inc. (NYSE: BXLT), spending in the month handily beat those previous months. But who would’ve thought a behavioral health care deal would rank as the month’s second largest deal? Check out the chart below. We’ll have... Read More »
This January Is Pharma M&A Month

This January Is Pharma M&A Month

by | Jan 14, 2016 9:37 pm | Pharmaceuticals

Halfway through the month of January 2016, 12 pharmaceutical deals have been announced, with a total of  $32.8 billion. You might think that’s a result of the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Summit that’s held every year in the second week of January.  That’s only half right. Last year, only nine pharma deals were announced the entire month of January, with six of them in the first two weeks. In 2014, there were 14 pharma deals in January, 11 of which were announced in the first two weeks. The biggest deal in the sector this month, Shire plc’s (NASDAQ: SHPG) $32 billion acquisition of Baxalta Inc. (NYSE: BXLT), was in the works long before the Summit, however. Shire... Read More »

Pharma’s Big Year in M&A

by | Dec 25, 2015 8:03 am | Pharmaceuticals

With one week to go in 2015, there are still a few big pharmaceutical deals in the works. Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) is now in friendly talks to take over Baxalta International Inc. (NYSE: BXLT) for a price rumored to be above $30 billion. By who’s waiting for 2016? Here is a preliminary tally of the year in pharmaceutical M&A, and how it compares to previous years. Spoiler alert: 2015 is another record year in dollar value. Pharmaceutical M&A, 2011 to 2015* 20112012201320142015 Deal volume115103150188167 % change11%-10%46%25%-11% Deal value$44.1 billion$38.1 billion$66.7 billion$213.3 billion$297.4 billion % change11%-14%76%219%40% *= thru Dec.... Read More »

Big Deal of the Day: Shire Buys Dyax

by | Nov 3, 2015 6:48 pm | Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals

Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPG) is on a buying binge in 2015. After agreeing to be acquired by AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) for $54.7 billion in July 2014, the deal fell apart in October following the Treasury Department’s revised ruling on foreign domiciles. Shire management turned around and acquired rare disease drug maker NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: NPSP) in January for $5.2 billion, then added prescription drug maker  Meritage Pharma, Inc. in February for $70 million. After a few months digesting those deals, Shire was back on the acquisition trail in August, paying $300 million for Foresight Biotherapeutics Inc., a clincal stage drug development company. Now it’s agreed to pay... Read More »