Global Briefs: Biogen, Asahi Kasei, UCB & More
A roundup of news from the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies featuring UCB, Amneal, Biogen and Asahi Kasei. Highlights below.
For the latest news roundup on small and Emerging Pharma companies, see Biotech Briefs.
M&A News
* UCB To Acquire Neurona Therapeutics in $1.1-Bn Deal
* Amneal Acquires Kashiv Biosciences in $1.1 Bn Deal
* Asahi Kasei Completes Acquisition of Aicuris
Partnering News
* Biogen, TJ Biopharma in $850-M Immune Disease Drug Pact
M&A News
UCB To Acquire Neurona Therapeutics in $1.1-Bn Deal
UCB, a Brussels, Belgium-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has agreed to acquire Neurona Therapeutics, a clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company focused on regenerative cell therapies for epilepsies and other disorders of the nervous system, in a $1.1-billion deal ($650 million upfront and $500 million in milestone payments).
Neurona Therapeutics’ lead regenerative neural cell-therapy candidate, NRTX‑1001, is currently being investigated in Phase I/II clinical trials to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and effects on seizure frequency in drug-resistant unilateral and bilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with and without mesial temporal sclerosis.
NRTX-1001 has received regenerative medicine advanced therapy designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for drug‑resistant MTLE and PRIME (priority medicines) designation from the European Medicines Agency for adults with drug‑resistant focal epilepsy.
Under the agreement, UCB will pay $650 million upfront and up to $500 million in potential future milestone payments. The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including required anti-trust clearance and other customary conditions, and is expected to close by end of the second quarter of 2026.
Source: UCB
Amneal To Acquire Kashiv Biosciences in $1.1 Bn Deal
Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a generics and biosimilars company, has agreed to acquire Kashiv BioSciences, a clinical-stage biosimilars company, in a deal worth up to $1.1 billion ($750 million upfront and $350 million in milestone payments).
Under the agreement, Kashiv will receive $375 million of cash and $375 million of equity payable at closing, plus up to $350 million in potential payments based on the achievement of certain regulatory milestones, potential royalties based on commercial milestones, and funding of operations through closing.
The transaction is subject to approval by Amneal shareholders, receipt of regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
Source: Amneal Pharmaceuticals
Asahi Kasei Completes Acquisition of Aicuris
Asahi Kasei has completed its acquisition of Aicuris Anti-infective Cures, a Wuppertal, Germany-based bio/pharmaceutical company, for approximately EUR 780 million ($920 million).
The acquisition adds three antiviral assets spanning marketed and clinical-stage development: Prevymis (letermovir), a commercial cytomegalovirus drug; Pritelivir, an oral herpes simplex virus drug that completed a Phase III trial and is awaiting FDA approval; and AIC468, a BK virus treatment that completed a Phase I trial.
Source: Asahi Kasei
Partnering News
Biogen, TJ Biopharma in $850-M Immune Disease Drug Pact
Biogen and TJ Biopharma, a Hangzhou, China-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered an agreement under which Biogen has agreed to acquire TJ Bio’s exclusive rights to felzartamab, a drug in Phase III clinical studies across multiple immune-mediated diseases, in the Greater China Region, in a deal worth up to $850 million ($100 million upfront and $750 million in milestone payments).
Biogen acquired the worldwide rights (excluding the Greater China Region) to felzartamab through the acquisition of HI-Bio in July 2024 and has since initiated global Phase III trials in antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplant recipients, IgA nephropathy, and primary membranous nephropathy with planned expansions into other indications. With this agreement, Biogen now owns exclusive worldwide rights to felzartamab.
Under the agreement, TJ Bio will receive a $100-million upfront payment and is eligible to receive up to $750 million in potential commercial and sales milestone payments, for a total potential consideration of up to $850 million, plus mid-single-digit to low-double-digit percentage of royalties on potential net sales in the Greater China Region.
Source: Biogen
