Gaining full rights to a bispecific antibody to treat atopic dermatitis, Johnson & Johnson is paying $1.25 billion to acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Numab Therapeutics AG. The subsidiary houses all assets related to NM-26, which targets IL-4Ra (type I and II receptors) and IL-31, and was designed with Numab’s MATCH (Multispecific Antibody-based Therapeutics by Cognate Heterodimerization) technology platform. It is ready for phase II development for atopic dermatitis, although J&J intends to develop, manufacture and commercialize the drug globally for follow-on indications as well.

Cambridge, U.K.-based Astrazeneca plc is looking to Asia, specifically China and Singapore, to build an innovative cancer-focused pipeline filled with antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and cell therapies.

Japanese industrial conglomerate Asahi Kasei Corp. has made an offer to acquire Swedish rare diseases specialist Calliditas Therapeutics AB for SEK11.8 billion (US$1.1 billion). The offer, at an 83% premium to the closing share price of SEK113.60 on Monday, May 27, is recommended by the three biggest shareholders and the board of Calliditas, which said the company would benefit from “being part of a larger platform.”

Nordson Corp. said it will buy Atrion Corp. for $460 per share in cash, representing a total equity value of approximately $815 million. The transaction enterprise value reflects a multiple of 20.2 times Atrion's 2023 EBITDA, and the $460 per share price represents a 15% premium to Atrion's 90-day average daily volume-weighted average stock price.

Cambridge, U.K.-based Astrazeneca plc is looking to Asia, specifically China and Singapore, to build an innovative cancer-focused pipeline filled with antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and cell therapies.

Despite the ongoing war, speakers at Biomed Israel this week reported that business and investment in Israel’s med-tech industry continues largely unchanged.

“In an impressive eight-month timeline,” South Korea’s Lunit Inc. completed the $193 million (AU$292 million) acquisition of Volpara Health Technologies Ltd. to globally advance artificial intelligence (AI)-based cancer care.

Shanghai- and San Diego-based Degron Therapeutics Inc. secured a potential $1.2 billion deal with Tokyo-headquartered Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. May 23 for a multitarget collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement for molecular glue degraders. “It is a breakthrough technology in the small-molecule drug discovery field,” Degron CEO Lily Zou told BioWorld. “People talk about cell and gene therapy, but small molecules are still the mainstream of drug discovery, [with] more reach.”

Shanghai- and San Diego-based Degron Therapeutics Inc. secured a potential $1.2 billion deal with Tokyo-headquartered Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. May 23 for a multitarget collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement for molecular glue degraders. “It is a breakthrough technology in the small-molecule drug discovery field,” Degron CEO Lily Zou told BioWorld. “People talk about cell and gene therapy, but small molecules are still the mainstream of drug discovery, [with] more reach.”

In a deal worth up to $1.8 billion, Biogen Inc. is buying Human Immunology Biosciences Inc. (Hibio), bolstering its late-stage immune-disease treatment portfolio and diversifying its pipeline. The massive amount comprises $1.15 billion up front and as much as $650 in potential milestone payments. The deal in rare diseases brings Biogen phase III-ready felzartamab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that selectively depletes CD38-positive plasma cells and natural killer cells. Hibio also is developing izastobart, an anti-C5aR1 antibody. Both assets were in-licensed from Morphosys AG in June 2022. Hibio also has mast cell programs in the discovery stage.