In what could end up being a deal that tops $1 billion, Merck & Co. Inc. cut a collaboration and license agreement with Janux Therapeutics to find, develop and commercialize T cell engager immunotherapies for cancer patients.
Royal Philips NV is expanding its cardio footprint with the acquisition of Biotelemetry Inc., a manufacturer of remote medical technologies, for $2.8 billion, or $72 per share. The proposed deal, announced Friday, furthers Philips’ goal of providing integrated solutions across the care continuum, with Biotelemetry’s cardiac diagnostics and monitoring tools joining Philips’ line of hospital-based patient monitoring solutions. Philips expects the Biotelemetry business to contribute to sales growth and EBITA margin in 2021 and deliver double-digit growth and improve profit margins to more than 20% by 2025.
HONG KONG – Peptidream Inc. inked a research collaboration with Amolyt Pharma SAS to test and optimize Peptidream’s growth hormone receptor antagonist (GHRA) peptides, with the aim of selecting a candidate to develop as a potential treatment for acromegaly.
By acquiring privately held Cadent Therapeutics Inc., Novartis AG gains full rights to Cadent’s allosteric modulator program, part of which the two companies began collaborating on in 2015, and all the company’s outstanding stock. Cambridge, Mass.-based Cadent will receive as much as $770 million, $210 million of it up front, plus $560 million in milestones.
The licensing deal with Glaxosmithkline plc (GSK) gives Surface Oncology Inc. “enough cash to take us through the next three years” and plenty of flexibility to continue its internal work, CEO Jeff Goater told BioWorld. GSK, of London, is gaining exclusive worldwide development and commercial rights to Cambridge, Mass.-based Surface’s preclinical program with SRF-813.
Alphatec Holdings Inc. has renewed a commitment to buy Eos Imaging SA, saying it will now pick up the company for $79.7 million, plus the retirement of $37.2 million in debt, in an all-cash deal. Both company’s boards have approved the execution of a tender offer agreement, through which Carlsbad, Calif.-based Alphatec will launch a cash tender offer for all the issued and outstanding shares and convertible notes of Eos imaging for a total purchase price of $116.9 million.
HONG KONG – Hummingbird Bioscience Pte. Ltd. is collaborating with artificial intelligence (AI) company Tempus Labs Inc. to advance HMBD-001, a differentiated anti-HER3 neutralizing antibody developed using Hummingbird's Rational Antibody Discovery platform, into clinical trials in HER3-driven cancers, including those that harbor neuregulin 1 (NRG1) fusions.
Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corp. has entered a definitive agreement to acquire regenerative medicine-focused Acell Inc. for an up-front cash payment of $300 million and up to an additional $100 million upon the achievement of certain revenue growth milestones. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions. It also comes almost three months after London-based Smith+Nephew plc said it was going to pick up the extremity orthopedics business of Integra for $240 million in cash.