Sirtris Satisfies GSK's M&A Appetite

Pathway-oriented platforms are rare, and dealmaking around them can be complicated: partner too early or for too little and you risk giving away the store. But Sirtris pulled it off, via M&A, when GSK tendered a whopping $720 million for it in April. The deal is another example of Pharma's interest in platform biotechs and its hunger for innovation. But the unique nature of Sirtris's platform -- broad, but around a single set of biological targets -- makes it more one-off than trend-setting.