Innovations Advanced by M&A

By combining complementary resources and expertise among companies of all sizes – while driving investment across the ecosystem – M&A helps advance innovative new treatments and cures to patients. This was precisely the case for Retevmo and Jaypirica, two first-of-their-kind oncology treatments brought to market through the acquisition of Loxo Oncology by Eli Lilly & Co.

In one of many examples from across the United States’ vibrant life sciences ecosystem, the merger between Alexion Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca helped accelerate the development and global distribution of transformative treatments for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) – a rare and life-threatening blood disease.

In the case of Breyanzi, the merger between Juno Therapeutics and Celgene allowed the two companies to combine their complementary resources and expertise and secure the investment required to bring a novel chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for advanced forms of blood cancer to patients more quickly.

Yervoy and Opdivo, two groundbreaking cancer therapies made possible through the merger of Medarex and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), significantly expanded the treatment options for thousands of patients with cancer worldwide.

From the complex scientific and regulatory expertise required, to the enormous capital investment needed for state-of-the-art facilities and clinical trials, many companies cannot navigate this path alone. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are fundamental to shepherding medicines along the path to market, and to patients in need. Such was the case for a first-of-its-kind treatment for Pompe disease.

The 2019 merger between Roche and Spark Therapeutics was instrumental in helping to expand the global reach of Luxturna, a first-in-class gene therapy approved as a one-time treatment for biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy – a rare, inherited form of vision loss.