Ablynx, Bioverativ Buys Drive Sanofi's Hematology Reign

Sanofi has secured its second acquisition this month in orphan diseases and hematology by offering €3.9bn ($4.8bn) for Nanobody drug development Ablynx NV; the deal has eclipsed a previous bid for Ablynx made by Sanofi's diabetes competitor Novo Nordisk AS.

When Novo Nordisk went public earlier in January about its two rebuffed attempts to buy Ablynx – a company with a budding pipeline that is approaching commercialization with its first product – analysts said the door could be open for counterbids. Their predictions have become reality: Sanofi has snapped up the pharma company for a 50% premium over the spurned bid from Novo Nordisk