Global Briefs: UCB, Gilead, AstraZeneca, Pfizer & More
A roundup of news from the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies featuring UCB, Gilead, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Galderma and Zealand Pharma. Highlights below.
For the latest news roundup on small and Emerging Pharma companies, see Biotech Briefs.
Mfg News
* UCB Dedicates Holds Dedication Ceremony for US Biologic Mfg Campus
M&A News
* Dermatology Company Galderma To Acquire Zo Skin Health for $1.5 Bn
* Ultragenyx Agrees To Sell Two PRVs for Gene Therapies for a Combined $413 M
Partnering News
* Gilead, Vir in $1.9-Bn T-cell Engager Cancer Drug Pact
* AstraZeneca, insitro in $1.9-Bn AI Drug-Discovery Pact for MASH & Cardio Drugs
* Zealand Pharma, Generate Biomedicines in $1.3-Bn Multispecific Protein Obesity Drug Pact
* Pfizer, Siemens Form Pact for Diagnostics for Therapeutics
Mfg News
UCB Dedicates Holds Dedication Ceremony for US Biologic Mfg Campus
UCB has announced that it has held the dedication ceremony of the future site of its new US biologics manufacturing campus at Rowen in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
UCB’s planned biologics manufacturing campus is part of an approximately $2 billion investment expected to generate approximately $5 billion in economic impact, create approximately 330 highly skilled permanent jobs, and support more than 1,000 construction jobs.
The approximately 460,000-square-foot campus will occupy 79 acres within the Rowen innovation district in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Designed with a digital-first approach, the facility will leverage artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies to produce complex biologic medicines.
Source: UCB
M&A News
Dermatology Company Galderma To Acquire Zo Skin Health for $1.5 Bn
Galderma, a dermatology company, has agreed to acquire ZO Skin Health, a skincare company, for $1.5 billion.
The acquisition enhances Galderma’s Dermatological Skincare portfolio, which includes the flagship Cetaphil and Alastin brands. ZO Skin Health’s daily, regimen-based portfolio, centered on retinol- and acid-based protocols, is complementary to Alastin’s highly differentiated peptide-based regenerative pre- and post-procedure offering.
Galderma will acquire 100% of ZO Skin Health for an enterprise value of 1.5 billion USD in an all-cash transaction, subject to customary adjustments, and will be funded through a combination of existing cash reserves and bank financing. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 or early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Source: Galderma
Ultragenyx Agrees To Sell Two PRVs for Gene Therapies for a Combined $413 M
Ultragenyx, a Novato, California biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, has agreed to sell two Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Vouchers (PRVs) for two recently approved gene therapies for a combined $413 million.
Under the PRV program, administered by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a sponsor who receives an approval for a drug or biologic for a “rare pediatric disease” may qualify for a PRV that can be redeemed to receive a priority review of a subsequent marketing application for a different product. The sponsor receives the PRV upon approval of the rare pediatric disease product application, and it can be sold or transferred.
In the first deal, Ultragenyx has agreed to sell a PRV for $203 million to an undisclosed company for Ultragenyx’s Fayuvi (rebisufligene etisparvovec-hopf), a gene therapy for treating mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIA, a rare inherited lysosomal storage disorder that causes severe, progressive central nervous system degeneration. Fayuvi received FDA approval in September (September 2026).
Earlier this month (October 2026), the company agreed to sell another PRV for $210 million to an undisclosed company for another gene therapy, Genglycos (pariglasgene brecaparvovec-opn), for treating glycogen storage disease type Ia, a rare, inherited genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase, which prevents the body from properly breaking down stored glycogen into glucose. The company received FDA approval of Genglycos in August (August 2026).
The closing of the PRV transactions are subject to customary closing conditions, including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
Source: Ultragenyx (Fayuvi PRV) and Ultragenyx (Genglycos PRV)
Partnering News
Gilead, Vir in $1.9-Bn T-cell Engager Cancer Drug Pact
Gilead and Vir Biotechnology, a San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered an agreement to discover and engineer three dual-masked T-cell engager (TCE) development candidates targeting selected solid tumor-associated antigens, in a deal worth up to $1.9 billion ($135 million upfront and $1.74 billion in milestone payments).
Gilead will have an exclusive license to develop and commercialize the novel TCEs. Through this collaboration, Vir Biotechnology will apply its deep expertise in TCE discovery and protein engineering, its proprietary data AI structure and antibody platform for rapid, multiparameter optimization of high-quality TCEs, each with potent anti-tumor activity and a wide therapeutic index across solid tumor targets addressing areas of high unmet need.
Under the agreement, Vir Biotechnology will be eligible to receive up to $135 million in total upfront and near-term preclinical milestone payments, consisting of $90 million in upfront consideration, which includes $65 million in cash and a $25 million equity investment at a 30% premium, and up to $45 million in potential near-term preclinical milestones. In addition, Vir Biotechnology has the potential to receive up to $1.74 billion in further development, regulatory and commercial milestones, along with tiered high single-digit to low double-digit royalties on net sales.
Source: Vir Biotechnology
AstraZeneca, insitro in $1.9-Bn AI Drug-Discovery Pact for MASH & Cardio Drugs
AstraZeneca has formed worldwide exclusive research collaboration with insitro, a company applying an AI platform for better understanding of causal human biology in drug discovery, to discover novel targets and therapeutics in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a form of liver disease, and cardiomyopathies, in a deal worth up to $1.9 billion ($40 million upfront and up to $1.46 billion in milestone payments.
Under the agreement, insitro will apply its Virtual Human platform to identify causal disease biology in both indications and advance AstraZeneca-nominated targets from discovery through to development candidate. AstraZeneca will lead all clinical development, regulatory work, and commercialization activities.
Under the agreement, insitro will receive $40 million upfront and is eligible for up to approximately $1.46 billion in potential discovery, development, and commercial milestones. In addition, single-digit royalties will be based on potential global commercial sales.
Source: insitro
Zealand Pharma, Generate Biomedicines in $1.3-Bn Multispecific Protein Obesity Drug Pact
Zealand Pharma, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has announced a multi-target strategic collaboration with Generate Biomedicines, a Somerville, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company focused on AI, to design and develop multispecific protein therapeutics for obesity and other metabolic diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.3 billion ($65 million upfront and $1.2 billion in milestone payments.
The collaboration is intended to accelerate the design and development of protein therapeutics for obesity and metabolic disease by using the generate platform, Generate’s platform which integrates generative AI with high-throughput experimental validation.
Under the agreement, Generate will use its proprietary generative AI platform to lead research through lead-candidate selection. Zealand Pharma will assume responsibility for subsequent clinical development, regulatory submissions, and worldwide commercialization.
For the two initial programs, Generate will receive $30 million up-front and up to $35 million in early preclinical milestones, and is eligible for total milestones of nearly $1.2 billion, including potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties on future worldwide net sales of any commercialized products resulting from the collaboration.
Source: Zealand Pharma
Pfizer, Siemens Form Pact for Diagnostics for Therapeutics
Pfizer and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics have entered into a master collaboration to design, develop and commercialize diagnostic tests for therapeutic products across Pfizer’s pipeline.
Under the agreement, Siemens will be one of Pfizer’s collaboration partners to develop and provide in vitro diagnostic tests for use in clinical studies and, potentially, eventual global commercialization with Pfizer products.
Source: Pfizer
