Alexion, Astrazeneca Rare Disease, part of Astrazeneca plc, has entered a definitive purchase and license agreement for a portfolio of preclinical gene therapy programs and enabling technologies from Pfizer Inc.

Teleflex Inc.’s agreement to acquire Palette Life Sciences AB for up to $650 million to boost its urology portfolio continues the company’s strategy of acquiring assets that are accretive to its growth rate. Palette has developed a number of urology products, key among them the Barrigel, a non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) spacer that reduces radiation delivered to the rectum during prostate cancer radiation therapy. With radiation treatment trends increasing, the market for Barrigel is expected to grow.

In the second-biggest M&A deal so far in 2023, Biogen Inc. plans to acquire Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc. for an enterprise value of about $7.3 billion.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been exceptionally active in the mergers and acquisitions space for the past 18 months, but Congress might soon amplify these agencies’ ability to suppress these transactions. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who chairs the competition subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a recent hearing that vertical mergers have flown largely off the enforcement radar, a problem that Congress could address by several means, including by providing the FTC with a heftier budget to pursue these cases.

It only took a couple of billion-dollar transactions in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023 to push med-tech dealmaking values above all other recent years. Despite the surge in value, the volume of deals is level with other quarters.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been exceptionally active in the mergers and acquisitions space for the past 18 months, but Congress might soon amplify these agencies’ ability to suppress these transactions. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who chairs the competition subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a recent hearing that vertical mergers have flown largely off the enforcement radar, a problem that Congress could address by several means, including by providing the FTC with a heftier budget to pursue these cases.

Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is selling its North American branded ophthalmic portfolio to Visiox Pharma LLC and Harrow Health Inc. in a move to make its global organization as competitive as possible, Santen told BioWorld.

With Aeon Biopharma Inc. listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 24, South Korea’s Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. is seeking new territory for its beleaguered botulinum toxin (BTX) product, Nabota (Jeuveau or ABP-450 in the U.S). Aeon’s move is expected help expand Nabota beyond aesthetic treatment to include medical conditions such as episodic migraines, cervical dystonia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sosei Heptares is fulfilling its ambition for growth in the Asia-Pacific region by buying the Japanese and South Korea businesses of Swiss biotech Idorsia Ltd. for ¥65 billion (US$463 million), potentially freeing Idorsia from its struggle to prove its stroke drug, Pivlaz (clazosentan), is effective enough to warrant approval in key Western markets.