In the third-largest acquisition announced this year, pharma giant Eli Lilly and Co. is buying oral integrin therapies developer Morphic Holding Inc. for $3.2 billion. Morphic stock (NASDAQ:MORF) got a tremendous boost from the acquisition, with shares closing 75% upward at $55.74 each on July 8, the day the deal was announced.
Nanjing, China-based Iaso Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd. has bought out global rights to human anti-B cell maturation antigen CAR T Fucaso (equecabtagene autoleucel) from partner Innovent Biologics Inc.
Embattled Masimo Corp. disclosed it received a non-binding term sheet offering $850 million to $950 million for a potential joint venture that would include its consumer health products and the Sound United business. In an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Masimo said it intends to negotiate for a higher price.
Seoul, South Korea-based Genexine Co. Ltd. plans to merge with privately held EPD Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd. by October 2024 to build a pipeline of novel targeted protein degradation therapeutics with EPD Bio’s BioPROTAC platform technology.
Curevac AG is casting off the deadweight of its pandemic push to translate its mRNA technology into a marketed COVID-19 vaccine, in a new €1.45 billion (US$1.6 billion) deal in which GSK plc will acquire full rights to infectious disease vaccines the two were co-developing.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. agreed to purchase Canadian laboratory testing giant Lifelabs Inc. from the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System for US$985 million (CA$1.35 billion), including debt, in a deal expected to close by the end of the year. Quest projects that Lifelabs, which will retain its brand, headquarters and management, will contribute US$710 million in the first 12 months after closing.
South Korea’s SK Bioscience Co. Ltd. has entered a cross-shareholding acquisition deal with Germany’s Klocke Pharma-Service GmbH to acquire its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), IDT Biologika Corp.
At a time when much of the biopharma space can’t seem to get enough of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), Bristol Myers Squibb Co. is backing away from a potential $3 billion-plus collaboration with Eisai Co. Ltd., handing back full rights to the latter’s folate receptor alpha-targeting ADC, farletuzumab ecteribulin (FZEC), citing a portfolio reprioritization.
Alcon AG completed the acquisition of Belkin Vision Ltd. with an upfront consideration of $81 million with an additional $385 million in contingent payments. With the deal, Alcon gets its hands on Belkin’s U.S. FDA-cleared direct selective laser trabeculoplasty device, expanding its treatment options for patients with glaucoma.
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. (MSD), known as Merck & Co. Inc. in the U.S. and Canada, terminated its potential $1.86 billion deal with San Diego-based Artiva Biotherapeutics Inc. for novel chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cell therapies. GC Cell disclosed news of the terminated deal on the Korea Exchange near market close of June 25, saying it was notified by Artiva after the decision was reached by MSD’s internal decision makers.