As the largest center for biotech startups in the U.S., the Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts area often acts as a marker for the entire industry. Here’s a look at the Massachusetts M&A deals so far.
As the largest center for biotech startups in the U.S., the Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts area often acts as a marker for the entire industry. Although merger-and-acquisition (M&A) numbers are
reportedly down
from last year, the value is actually higher. Here’s a look at the
Massachusetts deals
so far.
Histogenics
and
Ocugen
.
In April, Histogenics Corporation, based in Boston, and Ocugen, based in Malvern, Pennsylvania,
announced a merger agreement
.
The deal is valued at $6.5 million. Histogenics will be renamed Ocugen and be headquartered in Malvern under Ocugen’s current management team. Ocugen focuses on treating diseases of the eye.
Quanterix
and
UmanDiagnostics AB
. In June, Billerica, Massachusetts-based Quanterix, a company digitizing biomarker analysis,
acquired
Umea, Sweden-based UmanDiagnostics AB for $22.5 million, made up of $16 million in cash and $6.5 million in Quanterix common stock. Uman holds the leading antibodies used to measure neurofilament light (Nf-L), used in many biomarker and clinical diagnostic kits.
Varian Medical Systems
and
Boston Scientific
. On July 2, Palo Alto, California-based Varian Medical Systems
agreed to buy
Boston Scientific’s portfolio of drug-loadable microsphere and bland embolic bead products to treat arteriovenous malformations and hypervascular tumors. The final price was $90 million using cash and loans.
Sarepta Therapeutics
and
Myonexus Therapeutics
. In February, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sarepta Therapeutics
exercised its option to buy
Ohio-based Myonexus Therapeutics for $165 million. As part of the deal, Sarepta picked up five gene therapy candidates to treat distinct types of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD).
Boston Scientific
and
VertiFlex
.
In May, Boston Scientific
agreed to buy
California-based Vertiflex for $465 million up front in cash with various milestones on top of it. Vertiflex developed and commercialized the Superion Indirect Decompression System, a device used to improve physical function and decrease pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).
Bracco Imaging S.p.A.
and
Blue Earth Diagnostics
. Blue Earth Diagnostics, a molecular imaging diagnostics company, is a British company with offices in Burlington, Massachusetts. In June, it was
acquired
by Bracco Imaging, based in Italy, for $475 million. Blue Earth’s molecular compounds are used for PET scans and other forms of diagnostic imaging.
Smith & Nephew
and
Osiris Therapeutic
. In April, Smith & Nephew, which has U.S. headquarters in Andover, Massachusetts,
closed on its acquisition
of Colombia, Maryland-based Osiris Therapeutics. The deal was valued at $660.5 million. In March, a group of Osiris shareholders
sued to block the acquisition
, arguing that the purchase price was too low. Osiris focuses on regenerative medicine products. Smith & Nephew is headquartered in London, UK and focuses on advanced wound management products, arthroscopy, trauma and clinical therapy products.
Tilos Therapeutics
and
Merck & Co
. In June, Kenilworth, New Jersey-based Merck and Co.
acquired
Lexington, Massachusetts-based Tilos Therapeutics for $775 million. Tilos has a portfolio of drug candidates that use a novel approach to modulating the signaling molecule TGFBeta, which has a broad range of disease applications, including cancer and fibrotic diseases.
Biogen
and
Nightstar Therapeutics
. In March, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen
announced the acquisition
of London, UK-based Nightstar Therapeutics for $800 million. Nightstar’s lead asset is NSR-REP1 to treat choroideremia (CHM), a rare, degenerative, X-linked inherited retinal disorder that leads to blindness.
Biogen
and
FUJIFILM
. Also in March, Biogen
sold
its biologics manufacturing operations in Hillerod, Denmark to Japan’s Fujifilm Corporation for $890 million. Biogen is going to pay Fujifilm to handle its manufacturing related to that site’s products.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
and
Exonics Therapeutics
. Boston-based Vertex
acquired
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based gene therapy startup Exonics Therapeutics for $1 billion in June. At the same time, Vertex announced it expanded its collaboration with CRISPR Therapeutics.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
and
PHC Holdings
. In January, Tokyo-based PHC Holdings Corporation
acquired
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s anatomic pathology business for $1.14 billion. The anatomic pathology business is part of the company’s Specialty Diagnostics Segment, and is a leading provider of microscope slides, instruments and consumables.
Ipsen
and
Clementia
. Ipsen, based in Paris with offices in Cambridge, Mass.,
acquired
Clementia Pharmaceuticals, which has headquarters in Montreal and Auburndale, Massachusetts for $1.31 billion. As part of the deal, Ipsen picked up Clementia’s palovarotene, an investigational retinoic acid receptor gamma selective agonist to treat fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP), multiple osteochondromas (ML) and other diseases.
Novartis
and
IFM Therapeutics
. Novartis, whose Institutes for BioMedical Research is in Cambridge,
acquired
Boston-based IFM Therapeutics in April for $1.265 billion. It gives Novartis full rights to IFM’s portfolio of NLPR3 antagonists, one of which is in the clinic for chronic inflammatory disorders such as atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and a preclinical molecule for inflammatory bowel disease and another preclinical asset for central nervous system diseases.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
and
Brammer Bio
.
In March, Thermo Fisher Scientific
acquired
gene and cell therapy manufacturer Brammer Bio for $1.7 billion in cash. Brammer is located in Cambridge and is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focusing on manufacturing viral vectors for gene and cell therapies.
Pfizer
and
Array BioPharma
.
In June, Pfizer
acquired
Boulder, Colorado-based Array BioPharma for $11.4 billion. Array has offices in Cambridge. Array’s portfolio includes a combination treatment of Braftovi (encorafenib) and Mektovi (binimetinib) to treat specific types of metastatic melanoma. This week, Array
announced positive results
from its Phase III BEACON CRC trial, showing the triple-combination Braftovi almost doubled overall survival in the patient subpopulation it was studying, which has convinced analysts Pfizer’s strategy was a good one.
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