The J.P. Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Conference in San Francisco kicked off with a resounding bang as Johnson & Johnson (J&J) disclosed plans to acquire Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc. for $132 per share, which equates to an equity value of about $14.6 billion.
Quanterix Corp. plans to merge with Akoya Biosciences Inc., in an all-stock transaction that both companies hope will bolster their fortunes. The transaction will create an integrated solution for ultra-sensitive detection of blood- and tissue-based protein biomarkers.
Biopharma stocks saw a year of ups and downs in 2024, with the BioWorld Stock Index rising as much as 21% before dipping below 2% and ultimately closing the year up 5.16%. This performance follows a 33.59% gain in 2023 and a sharp 32.75% decline in 2022. Among the 509 stocks analyzed in the index, 169 companies (33%) ended the year with gains, while 340 (67%) saw their shares decline.
Windward Bio AG was established with plans to both license a drug and establish wet labs to create an internal pipeline of drug candidates. SR One, Omega Funds, RTW Investments, Qiming Venture Partners, Quan Capital and Pivotal Bioventure Partners funded the Basel, Switzerland-based company’s $200 million series A financing round.
Biopharma deal activity closed out the year strong in December, reaching a total value of $29.02 billion – the second highest monthly figure of 2024, just shy of November's $29.34 billion. For the full year, deals amounted to $230.37 billion, marking a nearly 6% increase from $217.69 billion in 2023 and making 2024 the highest value year in in BioWorld’s records.
Med-tech deal values dropped sharply in December to $78.74 million, down from $424.5 million in November. For the full year, deal values reached $2.12 billion, representing a significant decline of 80% from 2023’s $10.63 billion and marking the lowest annual total in recent years
Wuxi Biologics Co. Ltd. is licensing a preclinical trispecific T-cell engager to Candid Therapeutics Inc. in a deal worth up to $925 million plus royalties.
The wheels of the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) juggernaut keep on turning, with Araris Biotech AG announcing a deal with a headline value of $780 million to apply its multi-payload linker technology to generate novel ADCs for Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
In early validation of widespread predictions of a robust year for M&A activity, Boston Scientific Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire the 74% of Bolt Medical Inc. it doesn’t already own for $443 million up front and up to $221 million in contingent milestone payments.
About four years after launch, Orna Therapeutics Inc. signed its second major deal, this time validating the lipid nanoparticle delivery technology it acquired through its Renagade Therapeutics Inc. buyout in May 2024, with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. seeking next-generation approaches for hemoglobinopathies.
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