Virtual Therapeutics Acquires Akili Interactive

Akili Completes Business Combination With Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp. I (DNAA)

August 20, 2022

Healthcare Services

Akili, a digital medicine company developing FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutics, completed its business combination with Social Capital Suvretta Holdings Corp. I (DNAA) and will begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker AKLI. The transaction raised over $163 million (pre-expenses) to fund the commercial launch of EndeavorRx for pediatric ADHD and to support advancement of Akili’s late-stage pipeline for other neuropsychiatric indications.

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 & 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.

Merck Acquires Acceleron Pharma for $11.5 Billion

September 30, 2021

Biotechnology

Merck has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Acceleron Pharma Inc. for $180 per share in cash, representing an approximate total equity value of $11.5 billion. The acquisition brings Acceleron's late-stage sotatercept program (for pulmonary arterial hypertension) and its REBLOZYL portfolio into Merck's cardiovascular pipeline, subject to tender offer completion and customary regulatory approvals.

Eli Lilly Acquires Akouos to Advance Gene Therapies for Hearing Loss

October 18, 2022

Biotechnology

Eli Lilly agreed to acquire Akouos for approximately $487 million in cash plus contingent value rights that could increase the deal value to about $610 million. The acquisition gives Lilly Akouos's pipeline of AAV-based inner-ear gene therapies (including lead candidate AK-OTOF) to accelerate development of treatments for sensorineural hearing loss.

Eli Lilly Acquires DICE Therapeutics

June 20, 2023

Biotechnology

Eli Lilly agreed to acquire DICE Therapeutics for $48 per share (approximately $2.4 billion) in an all-cash tender offer to bolster Lilly's immunology pipeline and leverage DICE's DELSCAPE small-molecule discovery platform and oral IL-17 inhibitor programs. The transaction, approved by both boards, is expected to close in Q3 2023 subject to customary conditions and antitrust clearance.