https://www.bioworld.com/rss en-us Astrazeneca plc has added a dual PDE3/4 inhibitor candidate to its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) portfolio via a deal worth up to $2.1 billion with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd., a Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd. subsidiary. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732430 Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732430-astrazeneca-nabs-pde3-4-inhibitor-for-copd-in-21b-sino-deal Red lungs on blue background Representing the fourth largest biopharma M&A announced in 2026, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. offered $85 per share in cash, or about $10 billion, to buy endocrine specialist Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Inc., adding the acromegaly drug Palsonify and a phase III asset, atumelnant, for congenital adrenocorticotropic hyperplasia (CAH). http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732417 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732417-endocrinology-becomes-vertexs-fifth-pillar-with-10b-crinetics-buy Hand pointing at digital M&A screen Astrazeneca plc has returned to China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. for another discovery collaboration, this time in a deal worth up to $1.77 billion to use CSPC’s siRNA drug discovery platform and extrahepatic targeted delivery technology to develop small nucleic acid drug candidates. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732469 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732469-astrazeneca-returns-to-tap-chinas-cspc-in-17b-discovery-deal Deal illustration Novartis AG is to pay $1.1 billion up front to acquire Myricx Bio Ltd., a preclinical-stage antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) specialist that is advancing a novel and more potent class of payload. With the first two programs due to enter clinical development before the end of the year, the Swiss pharma also will pay up to $400 million more in potential milestones. The centerpiece of the deal is London-based Myricx’s N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors, which in preclinical testing have prompted complete and durable tumor regression at well-tolerated doses in a range of solid tumors. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732468 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732468-novartis-to-pay-15b-for-myricx-bio-and-its-novel-adc-payloads 3D rendering of antibody drug conjugated with cytotoxic payload Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is buying Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $85 per share in cash, which translates to about $10 billion in equity value. Both boards approved the transaction, expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732289 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732289-vertex-buying-crinetics-for-10b Novartis AG is to pay $1.1 billion up front to acquire Myricx Bio Ltd., a preclinical-stage antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) specialist that is advancing a novel and more potent class of payload. With the first two programs due to enter clinical development before the end of the year, the Swiss pharma also will pay up to $400 million more in potential milestones. The centerpiece of the deal is London-based Myricx’s N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors, which in preclinical testing have prompted complete and durable tumor regression at well-tolerated doses in a range of solid tumors. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732285 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732285-novartis-to-pay-15b-for-myricx-bio-and-its-novel-adc-payloads 3D rendering of antibody drug conjugated with cytotoxic payload Astrazeneca plc has returned to China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. for another discovery collaboration, this time in a deal worth up to $1.77 billion to use CSPC’s siRNA drug discovery platform and extrahepatic targeted delivery technology to develop small nucleic acid drug candidates. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732396 Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732396-astrazeneca-returns-to-tap-chinas-cspc-in-17b-discovery-deal Deal illustration Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.’s deal to buy Pacira Biosciences Inc.’s Iovera system for up to $140 million and Eurobio Scientific SA’s acquisition of Caredx Inc.’s lab products business for $171.2 million are symptomatic of a broader trend among med-tech and diagnostics companies using targeted acquisitions to strengthen specific areas of their portfolio. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732261 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732261-cool-move-by-zimmer-part-of-med-techs-tuck-in-deals-trend Handshake icon engraved on metal hexagonal background Ipsen SA announced its second acquisition of the week, saying it will pay €700 million (US$797 million) for Memo Therapeutics AG and its phase III-ready drug potravitug, a treatment for BK virus-associated infections and nephropathy in immune-compromised kidney transplant patients. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732257 Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732257-in-2nd-deal-of-week-ipsen-buys-memos-kidney-transplant-antibody Illustration of antibodies flying around a kidney Nuvectis Pharma Inc.’s shares climbed further after the oncology-focused biotech nabbed select rights to a late-stage complement factor B inhibitor (HSK-39297/NXP-100) and a phase I BRAF inhibitor (HSK-42360/NXP-200) from Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for $40 million up front. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732348 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732348-nuvectis-shares-continue-to-rally-after-146b-haisco-deal Dollar symbol with arrow graph Abbisko Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover and develop innovative medicines across multiple targets, with the aim of advancing novel drug candidates with global potential. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732347 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732347-lilly-taps-abbisko-for-19b-discovery-deal Microscope A U.S. biotechnology company founded by Deerfield Management Company L.P. licensed exclusive rights to Metis Techbio Co. Ltd.’s preclinical trispecific T-cell engager (TCE) for autoimmune disorders in a potential $1.62 billion deal. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732310 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732310-deerfield-backed-boulevard-metis-pen-16b-trispecific-tce-deal Handshake, businessmen holding dollar sign, lightbulb One company was looking to add to its royalty stream and R&D portfolio. The other was seeking strategic alternatives in the wake of clinical misfires over the last few years. In an agreement aimed at satisfying both goals, Zymeworks Inc. will acquire Theravance Biopharma Inc., paying $17 per share, or about $929 million, though the transaction is structured in a way that minimizes the former’s current capital position. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732226 Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732226-zymeworks-bolsters-royalty-stream-with-theravance-buy Acquisition puzzle Adhesives innovator H.B. Fuller Co. is offering £2.85 per share in cash to buy Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc, expanding its technologies, commercial footprint and manufacturing capabilities across the globe. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732163 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732163-advanced-medical-solutions-takeout-offer-worth-659m Acquisition target Merck KGaA has agreed to buy Bio-Techne Corp. for an enterprise value of approximately $11.3 billion, in a bid to strengthen its life sciences business. The company is offering $73 per share in cash, a 36% premium to Bio-Techne's one-month volume-weighted average trading price, and a 24% premium to the company’s previous close on June 24. The deal will expand Merck’s position in multi-omics, spatial biology, cell and gene therapy, precision diagnostics and advanced research tools. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732157 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732157-merck-to-buy-bio-techne-for-113b-to-boost-life-sciences-portfolio Lab glassware and scientist Abbisko Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover and develop innovative medicines across multiple targets, with the aim of advancing novel drug candidates with global potential. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732203 Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732203-lilly-taps-abbisko-for-19b-discovery-deal Microscope Nuvectis Pharma Inc.’s shares climbed further after the oncology-focused biotech nabbed select rights to a late-stage complement factor B inhibitor (HSK-39297/NXP-100) and a phase I BRAF inhibitor (HSK-42360/NXP-200) from Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for $40 million up front. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732081 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732081-nuvectis-shares-continue-to-rally-after-146b-haisco-deal Dollar symbol with arrow graph Antares Therapeutics Inc. drew Novartis AG to the table for a potential $1.9 billion collaboration, including a $105 million up-front payment, to discover small-molecule programs against oncology targets considered to be undruggable. It’s Antares’ first partnership since spinning out of Scorpion Therapeutics Inc. about a year ago. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732077 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732077-antares-novartis-pursuing-undruggable-cancer-targets-in-19b-deal Cancer cell in the cross-hairs Eli Lilly and Co. posted $19.8 billion in first-quarter 2026 revenue, driven by tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity. The Indianapolis-based drugmaker is channeling cash flow from these blockbuster GLP-1 drugs into an aggressive dealmaking campaign — about $25.1 billion across 10 announced acquisitions so far this year and more than $26 billion in other closed deals. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732076 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732076-lillys-glp-1-windfall-fuels-m-and-a-land-grab-across-10-deals-25b Business handshake and holographic dollar sign Abbisko Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover and develop innovative medicines across multiple targets, with the aim of advancing novel drug candidates with global potential. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732075 Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732075-lilly-taps-abbisko-for-19b-discovery-deal Microscope SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is doubling down on AI-powered drug discovery through a new collaboration with Insilico Medicine Inc. valued at more than $2.5 billion. The milestone-heavy deal, announced at the BIO International Convention in San Diego June 22, will pair Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform with SK Biopharm’s central nervous system (CNS) drug development and commercialization capabilities, underscoring Korean and global biopharma efforts to embed AI across the entire R&D lifecycle. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732063 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732063-sk-biopharm-taps-insilico-in-25b-ai-cns-drug-discovery-deal Capsule with brain on programming background.jpg MPM Bioimpact-spawned K2 Therapeutics Inc. inked a license deal plus option agreement, worth $980.5 million apiece, to gain ex-China rights to two of Antengene Corp. Ltd.’s preclinical anticancer bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) assets. The deal, announced June 21, will grant Singapore-based K2 exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Antengene’s ATG-106 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732152 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732152-k2-nabs-two-antengene-bispecific-tces-in-2b-license-option-deal Photo of two people shaking hands near lab equipment In a deal viewed as a big win for both companies, Abbvie Inc. is buying Apogee Therapeutics Inc. for $10.9 billion. The transaction calls for shareholders of Apogee to receive $135.11 per share in cash, marking a nearly 50% premium over Friday’s closing stock price, and puts lead candidate zumilokibart, a late-stage, half-life extended monoclonal antibody targeting IL-13 that has shown competitive phase II data in atopic dermatitis, in the hands of a pharma giant with a well-established immunology franchise. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732043 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732043-abbvie-pads-immunology-pipeline-in-109b-apogee-buy Abbvie U.S. headquarters Abbvie U.S. headquarters. Credit: Abbvie Inc. MPM Bioimpact-spawned K2 Therapeutics Inc. inked a license deal plus option agreement, worth $980.5 million apiece, to gain ex-China rights to two of Antengene Corp. Ltd.’s preclinical anticancer bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) assets. The deal, announced June 21, will grant Singapore-based K2 exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Antengene’s ATG-106 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732090 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732090-k2-nabs-two-antengene-bispecific-tces-in-2b-license-option-deal Photo of two people shaking hands near lab equipment Uniquest Pty Ltd., the commercialization company of the University of Queensland, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with the Ellison Medical Institute (EMI) to develop and commercialize the University of Queensland’s QED-203 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/732032 Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/732032-ellison-medical-institute-signs-license-agreement-for-qed-203 Prostate cancer cells Prostate cancer cells Details were scant, but Biogen Inc. snagged a portfolio of early stage immunology-focused candidates by way of an acquisition deal for Raythera Inc. that could total as much as $1 billion. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/731923 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/731923-biogen-pads-immune-pipeline-with-1b-raythera-buy Med-tech M&A value through the first five months of 2026 reached $62.98 billion, the highest total for the period since 2022’s $84.13 billion and a dramatic step up from 2025’s $22.4 billion and 2024’s $21.86 billion over the same stretch. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/731922 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/731922-boston-sci-mirus-pact-lifts-med-tech-dealmaking-to-record-45b-in-may Boston Scientific signage Credit: Boston Scientific Corp. Shares of Abcellera Biologics Inc. got a modest boost on news of a preclinical research collaboration with Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc aimed at developing next-generation T-cell engaging multispecific antibodies targeting gastrointestinal cancers and other solid tumors. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/731907 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/731907-jazz-taps-abcellera-in-potential-4b-antibody-discovery-deal Concept of business partnership Laekna Inc. is handing ex-China rights to internally discovered PI3Kα pan-mutant selective inhibitor LAE-118 to U.S.-based Vasque Bio Inc. in a deal worth up to $527 million, marking another asset-monetization move by the Shanghai company as it looks to fund and accelerate development across its oncology and metabolic disease pipeline. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/731987 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/731987-laekna-licenses-lae-118-ex-china-to-vasque-in-527m-deal Deal handshake with graphic overlay Biopharma deal value through the first five months of 2026 reached $135.36 billion, outpacing every prior year and topping 2025’s previous high of $103.92 billion. May was the year’s biggest month so far at $41.78 billion in transactions, making it one of the strongest individual months on record, and far outpacing April’s $13.87 billion. http://www.bioworld.com/articles/731985 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.bioworld.com/articles/731985-china-partnerships-drive-biopharmas-biggest-deal-month-since-2023 Businesspeople shaking hands, meeting with cityscape, charts