Merck to Acquire Acceleron Pharma Inc for $11.5B

Merck & Co., Inc. Acquires VelosBio Inc.

November 5, 2020

Biotechnology

Merck & Co., Inc. will acquire all outstanding shares of clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company VelosBio for $2.75 billion in cash. The acquisition adds VelosBio's lead investigational antibody-drug conjugate VLS-101 and ROR1-directed pipeline assets to Merck's oncology portfolio and is expected to close by the end of 2020, subject to customary conditions.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals to Acquire Remaining Stake in Akcea Therapeutics

August 31, 2020

Biotechnology

Ionis Pharmaceuticals agreed to acquire the approximately 24% of Akcea Therapeutics it does not already own for $18.15 per share in cash, implying a fully diluted transaction value of about $500 million. The deal will be executed via a tender offer followed by a second-step merger, and Ionis expects to complete the transaction in Q4 2020 to consolidate Akcea's pipeline, commercial products and cash while realizing cost synergies.

Merck to Acquire Verona Pharma for Approximately $10 Billion

July 9, 2025

Pharmaceuticals

Merck, through a subsidiary, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Verona Pharma in a transaction valued at approximately $10 billion (at $107 per ADS). The acquisition is intended to add Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) to Merck’s cardio-pulmonary pipeline, following FDA approval for COPD in June 2024.

Merck Acquires Pandion Therapeutics

February 25, 2021

Biotechnology

Merck will acquire Pandion Therapeutics for $60 per share in cash, representing an approximate total equity value of $1.85 billion, via a tender offer and subsequent merger. Pandion is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on precision immune modulators (TALON platform) with lead candidate PT101 targeting regulatory T cells for autoimmune diseases; the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021 subject to customary conditions.

Merck to Acquire Harpoon Therapeutics for $680M

January 8, 2024

Biotechnology

Merck has agreed to acquire clinical-stage immunotherapy company Harpoon Therapeutics for $23.00 per share in cash, representing an approximate total equity value of $680 million. The acquisition gives Merck access to Harpoon's TriTAC / ProTriTAC platforms and lead candidate HPN328 (a DLL3-targeting T‑cell engager) to enhance its oncology pipeline; the deal is expected to close in the first half of 2024, subject to customary conditions.

Johnson & Johnson to Acquire Ambrx Biopharma in ~$2 Billion All-Cash Deal

January 8, 2024

Pharmaceuticals

Johnson & Johnson announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ambrx Biopharma in an all-cash merger transaction valued at about $2 billion (about $1.9 billion net of estimated cash acquired). The deal is intended to add Ambrx’s proprietary synthetic biology and ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) technology platform and its clinical and preclinical oncology pipeline to J&J’s targeted oncology therapeutics efforts.