Deals In Depth: April 2021

Two $1bn+ alliances were penned in April. Vertex and Obsidian entered into an agreement surrounding the discovery of therapies that regulate gene editing for the treatment of serious diseases. Obsidian is eligible for up to $75m in up-front payments and research milestones and could get another $1.3bn in potential milestone payments across up to five potential programs. Artios signed a three-year global research collaboration with Novartis to discover and validate next-generation DNA damage response targets to enhance Novartis’ radioligand therapies. In the top April M&A by deal value, Thermo Fisher and publicly traded contract research organization PPD announced a definitive agreement under which Thermo Fisher will pay $47.50 per share (a 23% premium to the 10-day pre-announcement average) in cash for PPD, for a purchase price of $17.4bn plus the assumption of approximately $3.5bn of net debt. Financing reached $14.6bn in biopharma, $1.2bn in device, and $2.4bn in diagnostics.

Deals In Depth
• Source: Alamy

Open Media

Open Media

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Deal-Making

Deals Shaping The Industry, May 2025

 
• By 

An interactive look at pharma, medtech and diagnostics deals made during May 2025. Data courtesy of Biomedtracker.

Bringing Israeli Medical Device Candidates To The Right Partners In The US

 
• By 

Despite regional unrest, it is business as usual for medtech innovators and investors in Israel as evidenced by continued high-value M&A of locally developed technologies. Irit Yaniv, co-chair of the medtech session at the upcoming BioMed Israel 2025, explained the unique dynamics of Israeli medtech innovation.

Deals In Depth: April 2025

 
• By 

Four $1bn+ alliances were penned in April, and one exceeded $2bn.

Deals Shaping The Industry, April 2025

 
• By 

An interactive look at pharma, medtech and diagnostics deals made during April 2025. Data courtesy of Biomedtracker.

More from In Vivo

Rising Leaders 2025: Emma Hodcroft On Taking Initiative When “Plan A” Falls Short

 

Emma Hodcroft, co-founder of Pathoplexus and a key Nextstrain contributor, stresses the importance of career flexibility for young scientists. She urges early-stage researchers to embrace curiosity, using her unconventional path as an example of how curiosity can lead to impactful success. 

How Ethris Cracked mRNA’s “Do Not Shake” Problem To Unlock Respiratory Therapeutics

 
• By 

A German biotech has solved a fundamental physics problem that has limited mRNA therapeutics to injectable vaccines. Its breakthrough stabilizer technology allows mRNA particles to survive the mechanical stress of inhalation delivery, opening the door to treating chronic respiratory diseases.

Execs On The Move: May 2025

 
• By 

An interactive look at recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device and diagnostics industries.