When it comes to mergers, acquisitions, and licensing strategy in biopharma, every company has a unique, individual strategy based on their respective resources, assets, and strategic plan. It’s important for each company to repeatedly internally assess their potential strategies, and make decisions from there about how to proceed or what changes to make. These analyses …
By John Carroll Celgene and Acceleron are taking their drug development relationship one big step forward in a new direction. Celgene announced this morning that is partnering up with Acceleron on a new, early-stage approach to treating anemia, paying $25 million upfront and promising $217 million in milestones to partner on ACE-536. Acceleron will keep …
By John Carroll Baxter International is setting up its own corporate venture unit with plans to inject up to $200 million to be invested in early-stage companies with promising new technologies. “Baxter’s mission is to apply innovative science to develop therapies and medical technologies that save and sustain patients’ lives,” said Baxter CEO Robert L. …
By Maureen Martino Pfizer is taking another shot at opening a research center in San Francisco’s Mission Bay. The world’s largest drugmaker is committing $100 million dollars over the next 5 years to partner with University of California, San Francisco, and will employ 40 staffers and researchers at the 11,000 square-foot Mission Bay Research Campus. …
By Ryan McBride Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) has made a move to buy up potential drugs for lung disease and inflammation, agreeing to purchase venture-backed biotech Amira Pharmaceuticals. The deal gives BMS footing in a hot field involving drugs against pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease for which there are no FDA-approved treatments. New York-based Bristol-Myers will …
By John Carroll AMAG Pharmaceuticals ($AMAG) and Allos Therapeutics ($ALTH) struck a deal to merge in an all-stock transaction valued at $686 million. And the two developers have already identified $55 million to $60 million in “synergies” that they plan to quickly carve out after the merger is completed. Once the deal is done, the …
By John Carroll PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association crunched the numbers on venture investing in the second quarter, tracking a 46% spike in the amount of venture cash being injected into U.S. biotech companies. Biotechs garnered $1.2 billion in venture funds for the quarter, with deal activity jumping 20%–from 97 rounds in the …
By Maureen Martino Japan’s Astellas will pay up to $130 million to license a vaccine to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in transplant recipients. The disease is typically dormant in those who are healthy but can cause illness in immunocompromised people, such as those who’ve received an organ transplant. A Phase III trial of TransVax in …
By Ryan McBride Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ ($VRX) planned $345 million acquisition of Johnson & Johnson’s ($JNJ) Ortho Dermatologics could be another positive sign for biotech companies, as Big Pharma outfits shed their auxiliary businesses to enhance focus on novel drugs. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a J&J unit, and French drug giant Sanofi ($SNY) have both opted to sell …
By Ryan McBride Big names in life sciences are backing DVS Sciences in a $14.6 million Series A round. With biomarker analysis technology for personalized medicine, the start-up has garnered investments from the investment vehicles of drug giants Pfizer ($PFE) and Roche as well as the venture firms 5AM Ventures and Mohr Davidow Ventures. 5AM …
