Finance, Grants, Deals

Sanofi-Aventis completes Genzyme acquisition

Country
France

Sanofi-Aventis SA said that its offer for Genzyme Corp has been accepted by shareholders representing 84.6% of the company’s common stock and approximately 77% of shares on a fully-diluted basis, giving the French company full control.

Algeta and Genzyme to research conjugated antibodies

Country
Norway

Algeta ASA and Genzyme Corp (Sanofi-Aventis) have announced plans to jointly explore the use of the Norwegian company’s radiopharmaceutical platform to enhance the ability of a Genzyme monoclonal antibody to target and kill cancer.

UK’s Acacia Pharma raises $10 million

Country
United Kingdom

Acacia Pharma Ltd, which specialises in drugs for cancer supportive care, has raised $10 million in a Series A financing round supported by the new investor, Lundbeckfond Ventures. Gilde Healthcare also participated in the round.

Merck Serono and Newron broaden CNS collaboration

Country
Switzerland

Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA has reached a licensing agreement with Merck Serono to investigate the potential of two Merck clinical-stage compounds for disorders of the central nervous system. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Paion reports higher revenue, narrower loss in 2010

Country
Germany

Paion AG more than doubled its revenue in 2010 as a result of milestone payments from three partners relating to progress in the development of desmoteplase for stroke; remimazolam for sedation and glial growth factor 2 (GGF2) for heart failure.

Sanofi raises $7 billion to finance Genzyme acquisition

Country
France

Sanofi-Aventis SA has fixed the terms of its offering of $7 billion of US dollar-denominated notes which will finance its acquisition of Genzyme Corp. The French multinational is acquiring the US company for about $20.1 billion.

Merck, Sanofi end their animal health venture

Country
France

Merck & Co Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA have abruptly ended their agreement to create a joint animal health venture citing difficulties in getting approval from antitrust authorities in different jurisdictions in the world.

Novartis acquires Chinese vaccine producer

Country
Switzerland

Novartis has announced the acquisition of 85% of a privately-held vaccine company in China, Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co Ltd. Financial details were not disclosed. The company has an R&D and manufacturing site near Shanghai.