Shionogi & Co. said it plans to acquire Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) subsidiaries Torii Pharmaceutical Co. and Akros Pharma Inc. for ¥160 billion (US$1.1 billion) to expand its global R&D business. The two companies have been negotiating since early 2024, and the deal is structured such that a tender offer will begin on May 8 and end on June 18 with an offer price of ¥6,350 per share to buy at least 11.89% of the minority stake, JT told BioWorld.

Med-tech M&A activity rebounded in April, reaching $1.4 billion, a sharp increase from March’s $22.63 million, though still down from nearly $5 billion in January and $6 billion in February.

In April, biopharma transactions amounted to $12.8 billion, a sharp decline from March’s $29.48 billion. However, with $79.66 billion in deal value during the first four months of 2025, the sector has already achieved its highest start to a year in BioWorld’s records since 2019.

News of the sale of Masimo Corp.’s consumer audio unit may be music to the ears of investors, even at the steep discount from its original purchase price. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Harman International Industries Inc. unit snapped up the Sound United business for about $350 million – roughly one-third of the $1.025 billion Masimo paid for the company in 2022.

In the first quarter of 2025, the med-tech sector saw a total of $149.08 million raised through 475 deals. This marked a significant decline from the $519.14 million raised in Q4 2024, representing the smallest quarterly total recorded by BioWorld MedTech since 2018.

Shionogi & Co. said it plans to acquire Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) subsidiaries Torii Pharmaceutical Co. and Akros Pharma Inc. for ¥160 billion (US$1.1 billion) to expand its global R&D business. The two companies have been negotiating since early 2024, and the deal is structured such that a tender offer will begin on May 8 and end on June 18 with an offer price of ¥6,350 per share to buy at least 11.89% of the minority stake, JT told BioWorld.

Dimerix Ltd. sealed an exclusive license agreement with Amicus Therapeutics Inc. for commercialization of its phase III kidney disease candidate, DMX-200, in a deal valued at AU$940 million (US$601.22 million).

Less than a week after announcing it had a new CEO, privately held Creyon Bio Inc. began a licensing and research partnership with Eli Lilly and Co. Creyon is getting $13 million up front and could bring in more than $1 billion in milestone payments. The two plan to find, develop and commercialize RNA-targeted oligonucleotide treatments for a range of diseases.

Alchemab Therapeutics Ltd. has entered into a licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. for ATLX-1282, Alchemab’s first-in-class IND-ready program targeting a novel receptor and mechanism for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative conditions.