Johnson & Johnson has bowed out of a potential merger with Actelion, opening up the field for an unconfirmed contender widely believed to be French drugmaker Sanofi.
The US healthcare giant confirmed that it has withdrawn from discussions over a potential takeover, which would have bolstered its lung disease offering with Actelion’s pulmonary arterial hypertension portfolio.
The firm did not give a detailed reason for the move, saying only that it had not been able to reach an agreement that would create adequate value for its shareholders.
But Reuters has cited people close to the situation saying that the Swiss biotech told J&J that it could attract an offer significantly above the approximate 250 Swiss francs per share (reportedly around $27 billion) it had laid on the table, and that there were issues over the deal structure.
Actelion confirmed that it is “engaged in discussions with another party regarding a possible strategic transaction,” but stressed that “there can be no certainty at this point that any transaction will result”.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that this party is Sanofi, also citing people close to the situation.
By Selina McKee
Source: Pharma Times
CureVac and the University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center have announced a co-development and licensing agreement to develop novel messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based cancer vaccines. The strategic collaboration will focus on the development of differentiated cancer vaccine candidates in selected haematological and solid tumour indications with high unmet medical needs.
FUJIFILM Corporation is planning to invest $1.2 billion to expand the planned FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, US. This news follows the organisation’s announcement of a $2 billion investment in the facility in March 2021. This additional financial boost totals the investment to over $3.2 billion, FUJIFILM confirmed.
Sanofi’s global restructuring and downsizing is now fully underway, with layoffs stretching to the company’s Belgian offices. Belgian newspaper De Tijd reports that 67 employees have been laid off at a site in Ghent and 32 jobs are on the chopping block at Sanofi’s Belgium HQ in Diegem.
