J&J has been hunting for companies to buy. At the start of the year, the company’s new CEO Joaquin Duato said J&J would take a more “aggressive” approach to dealmaking, although he and other executives had indicated a preference toward small- and mid-sized acquisitions of medical technology and biotechnology companies.
Analysts had previously speculated that J&J could acquire a cardiology firm such as Boston Scientific.
In a statement, Duato said in the acquisition of Abiomed is “an important step in the execution of our strategic priorities” as the company focuses on its pharma and medtech businesses.
“We have committed to enhancing our position in medtech by entering high-growth segments,” he added. “The addition of Abiomed provides a strategic platform to advance breakthrough treatments in cardiovascular disease and helps more patients around the world while driving value for our shareholders.” READ MORE
by Elise Reuter
Source: biopharmadive.com
Walgreens has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners and leave the public markets, the retail and pharmacy chain said Thursday. The private equity firm will pay $11.45 per share in cash for Walgreens, giving the financially struggling company an equity value of about $10 billion.
In the role, James List, M.D., Ph.D., will be charged with leading the company’s pipeline of cardiovascular, metabolic, hematologic and obesity medicines from early discovery to late development, the company said in a March 6 announcement. The role is “inclusive of medical affairs and business development strategies,” the company explained.
Ireland’s Jazz Pharmaceuticals signed an agreement to acquire its compatriot Chimerix for approximately $935 million. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025. Chimerix’s lead clinical asset, dordaviprone, is a novel first-in-class small molecule treatment in development for H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma, a rare, high-grade brain tumor that most commonly affects children and young adults.
