AstraZeneca's Rare Disease Unit Buys Pfizer Portfolio

Alexion will acquire the preclinical rare disease gene therapy programme portfolio from Pfizer for $1 billion.

The Cambridge-based pharmaceutical firm revealed that Alexion will acquire the preclinical rare disease gene therapy programme portfolio from Pfizer for $1 billion.

Reportedly, the sale will also include tiered sales royalties. Further, the deal will offer resources to expand AstraZeneca's genomic medicine capabilities and help it develop genetic therapies that are safer and more effective.

Disclosing more about the deal, AstraZeneca revealed that several Pfizer employees connected to the portfolio will join Alexion as employees.

Days back, Alexion partnered with USA's Verge Genomics in a $840 million + deal. The collaboration aimed to discover novel drug targets for rare neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases.

Looking back, the British-Swedish Pharma Giant also forged a partnership deal with BenevolentAI in an effort to revolutionise drug discovery by harnessing the power of AI.

Founded in 1999, through the merger of the Swedish Astra AB and the British Zeneca Group, the pharmaceutical biotechnology company aims to transform the lives of people affected by rare diseases.

However, in 2023, AstraZeneca acquired Alexion, forming its rare disease-focused sector. This acquisition has allowed AstraZeneca to enhance its scientific presence in immunology and continue to develop medicines for patients with rare diseases.
Another acquisition in the pharma space doing the round is, India's pharmaceutical giant Cipla. The long list of bidders for this acquisition deal includes Blackstone, Bain Capital and many foreign banks including Morgan Stanley and Barclays.

However, the most interested bidder is its Ahmedabad rival company Torrent which has been hoping to secure roughly $3 billion to $4 billion in financing for the bid.

In the latest update, Torrent is in talks with Apollo Global Management to obtain a loan of up to $1 billion to take over its rival company Cipla. As per analyst estimates, the entire deal could be valued at up to $7 billion, potentially making it India's largest pharmaceutical deal to date.

The global pharma giant AstraZeneca's rare disease unit Alexion has signed a purchase and licence agreement for a rare disease programme portfolio from Pfizer Inc.