Drug delivery opportunities are at the heart of Halozyme Therapeutics Inc.’s nearly $1 billion acquisition of Antares Pharma Inc. The deal brings Halozyme an autoinjector platform to complement its Enhanze drug delivery technology, which is designed to reduce hours-long treatments to minutes.
Shares in Sierra Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:SRRA) surged 38.5% to $54.75 on April 13 as Glaxosmithkline plc made a $55-per-share offer for the company, which values it at $1.9 billion. The offer represents a premium of about 39% on Sierra’s April 12 closing share price of $39.52 and a premium of about 63% over its volume-weighted average share price over the last 30 trading days.
Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Ltd. has made an offer to acquire digital health company Resapp Health Ltd. in all cash offer worth AU$100 million (US$74.25 million). The two companies have entered into a binding scheme that is contingent upon shareholder agreement and regulatory clearances in Australia. Shareholders will vote on the proposed acquisition in June, and directors have unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favor of the acquisition.
Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc. is receiving an up-front $35 million with a possible $417 million in regulatory and commercial milestones in its new license and supply agreement with Immedica Pharma AB, of Stockholm. Immedica is getting the exclusive European, Middle Eastern and North African rights to Iomab-B, an antibody radiation conjugate comprising apamistamab, a CD45-targeting antibody, and the radioisotope iodine-131. Actinium is eligible for royalties in the mid-20% range on net sales.
Everest Medicines Ltd. has formed a partnership with China Resources Pharmaceutical Group (CR Pharma) to co-launch an independent company to focus on the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
Harbour Biomed Therapeutics Ltd. has out-licensed a preclinical bispecific antibody, HBM-7022, to Astrazeneca plc in a global licensing deal worth up to $350 million.
Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has in-licensed Eli Lilly and Co.’s olaratumab antibody, agreeing to pay $5 million up front for exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize radiolabeled forms of the antibody for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has stress-tested Engitix Ltd.’s extracellular matrix (ECM) drug discovery platform and is coming back for more, expanding the existing collaboration from liver fibrosis to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Cellpoint B.V. has picked up U.S and European rights to a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy from Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Co. Ltd. Cellpoint will develop and commercialize the candidate, PRG-1801, for the treatment of hematological indications.
The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) of Taiwan has teamed up with Taiwanese computer manufacturer Asustek Computer Inc. and American cloud computing company Nvidia Corp. to build Taiwan’s first supercomputer for medical research.