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Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sanofi concludes Blueprint Medicines acquisition
Sanofi has completed its acquisition of Blueprint Medicines, enhancing its portfolio with a commercialised therapy and the expertise of a company focused on systemic mastocytosis (SM) and other KIT-driven diseases. In June 2025, Sanofi agreed to acquire Blueprint for an equity value of $9.1bn. The acquisition of Blueprint provides Sanofi with a well-established foothold among dermatologists, allergists and immunologists, which strengthens Sanofi's efforts in advancing its expanding immunology pipeline. It also includes Ayvakit/Ayvakyt (avapritinib), a treatment for rare immunological diseases that has received approval in both the US and the European Union. The acquisition also covers elenestinib, a treatment for SM. It is currently being evaluated in the HARBOR study, a Phase II/III clinical trial. This ongoing, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of elenestinib in combination with symptom-directed therapy for patients with indolent ISM and SM. Sanofi has acquired BLU-808, an investigational oral medication that serves as a highly potent and selective inhibitor of wild-type KIT. The tender offer for all outstanding Blueprint common stock shares expired on 17 July 2025. All conditions were met, and Sanofi accepted and will pay for all valid tendered shares. Sanofi completed its acquisition of Blueprint through a merger, with the latter becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. The transaction is financed with cash and commercial paper proceeds and will not significantly impact Sanofi's 2025 financial guidance. It is expected to enhance gross margin and contribute positively to operating income and earnings per share after 2026. In mid-July 2025, Thermo Fisher announced the acquisition of Sanofi's sterile manufacturing facility in the US. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2025, pending the usual closing conditions. "Sanofi concludes Blueprint Medicines acquisition" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Press Release: Sanofi completes acquisition of Blueprint Medicines
Sanofi completes acquisition of Blueprint Medicines Paris, July 18, 2025. Sanofi today announces the completion of its acquisition of Blueprint Medicines Corporation (Blueprint), adding to its portfolio a commercialized medicine, a promising pipeline, and the expertise of a company specializing in systemic mastocytosis (SM), a rare immunological disease, and other KIT-driven diseases. In addition, the acquisition of Blueprint brings Sanofi an established presence among allergists, dermatologists, and immunologists which is expected to enhance Sanofi's ability to advance its growing immunology pipeline. The acquisition includes a rare immunology disease medicine, Ayvakit/Ayvakyt (avapritinib), approved in the US and EU. Ayvakit/Ayvakyt is the only approved medicine for advanced and indolent systemic mastocytosis (ASM & ISM), which is characterized by the accumulation and activation of aberrant mast cells in bone marrow, skin, the gastrointestinal tract, and other organs. The acquisition also includes elenestinib, a next-generation medicine for SM that is a potent and highly selective KIT D816V inhibitor with limited central nervous system penetration. The oral investigational ISM medication is the subject of HARBOR, a phase 2/3 study (clinical study identifier: NCT04910685). The ongoing, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of elenestinib plus symptom-directed therapy in patients with ISM and smoldering SM. Sanofi also acquired BLU-808, an investigational oral, highly potent and selective wild-type KIT inhibitor. Wild-type KIT plays a central role in mast cell activation, which is implicated in a broad range of inflammatory diseases. The tender offer for all outstanding shares of Blueprint common stock, par value $0.001 per share expired at 17:00 EDST, on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The minimum tender condition and all of the other conditions to the offer have been satisfied, and on July 17, 2025, Sanofi accepted for payment and will promptly pay for all shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn. Following its acceptance of the tendered shares, Sanofi completed its acquisition of Blueprint through the merger of a wholly owned subsidiary of Sanofi with and into Blueprint, pursuant to Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, with Blueprint continuing as the surviving corporation, and becoming an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Sanofi. Sanofi is financing the transaction with a combination of cash on hand and proceeds from commercial paper issuances and the acquisition will not have a significant impact on Sanofi's financial guidance for 2025. It is immediately accretive to gross margin and accretive to business operating income and EPS after 2026. In connection with the merger, all Blueprint shares not validly tendered in the tender offer have been converted into the right to receive $129.00 per share in cash, without interest and subject to any withholding of taxes required by applicable legal requirements, plus one non-transferable contractual contingent right per share, representing the right to receive contingent payments of up to an aggregate amount of $6.00 per share in cash, without interest, upon the achievement of specified milestones on or prior to the expiration of the applicable milestone period. As of July 18, 2025, Blueprint common stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market. About AyvakitAyvakit (avapritinib) is the first and only medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the root cause of SM. It was FDA approved for the treatment of advanced SM in June 2021 and indolent SM in May 2023. It now is indicated in adults with ISM, adults with advanced SM, including aggressive SM (ASM), SM with an associated hematological neoplasm (SM-AHN) and mast cell leukemia (MCL), and adults with unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) harboring a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation, including PDGFRA D842V mutations. The medicine is approved in the EU as Ayvakyt for the treatment of adults with ISM with moderate to severe symptoms inadequately controlled on symptomatic treatment, adults with ASM, SM-AHN or MCL, after at least one systemic therapy, and adults with unresectable or metastatic GIST harboring the PDGFRA D842V mutation. Globally, the medicine is approved for one or more indications in 16 countries, including China where it is marketed by CStone Pharmaceuticals, paying tiered percentage royalties on sales. About Sanofi Sanofi is an R&D driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people's lives and delivering compelling growth. We apply our deep understanding of the immune system to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world, with an innovative pipeline that could benefit millions more. Our team is guided by one purpose: we chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives; this inspires us to drive progress and deliver positive impact for our people and the communities we serve, by addressing the most urgent healthcare, environmental, and societal challenges of our time. Sanofi is listed on EURONEXT: SAN and NASDAQ: SNY Media RelationsSandrine Guendoul | +33 6 25 09 14 25 | Evan Berland | +1 215 432 0234 | Le Bourhis | +33 6 75 06 43 81 | Rouault | +33 6 70 93 71 40 | Timothy Gilbert | +1 516 521 2929 | Léa Ubaldi | +33 6 30 19 66 46 | Investor RelationsThomas Kudsk Larsen | +44 7545 513 693 | Kaisserian | +33 6 47 04 12 11 | Felix Lauscher | +1 908 612 7239 | Browne | +1 781 249 1766 | Nathalie Pham | +33 7 85 93 30 17 | Tarik Elgoutni | +1 617 710 3587 | Châtelet | +33 6 80 80 89 90 | Yun Li | +33 6 84 00 90 72 | Sanofi forward-looking statementsForward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements may include projections and estimates regarding the marketing and other potential of the product, or regarding potential future revenues from the product, and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions, and expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations, services, product development and potential, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words 'expects', 'anticipates', 'believes', 'will be', 'intends', 'estimates', 'plans' and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, or government regulation generally, that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the product, the fact that product may not be commercially successful and other risks associated with executing business combination transactions, such as the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully, that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected or that the expected benefits of the acquisition will not be realized, risks related to future opportunities and plans for the combined company, including uncertainty of the expected financial performance and results of the combined company following completion of the proposed acquisition, disruption from the proposed acquisition making it more difficult to conduct business as usual or to maintain relationships with customers, employees, manufacturers, suppliers or patient groups, and the possibility that, if the combined company does not achieve the perceived benefits of the proposed acquisition as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial analysts or investors, the market price of Sanofi's shares could decline, as well as other risks related to Sanofi's business, including the ability to grow sales and revenues from existing products and to develop, commercialize or market new products, competition, including potential generic competition, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including future clinical data and analysis, regulatory obligations and oversight by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, including decisions of such authorities regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or biological application that may be filed for any product candidates as well as decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of any product candidates, the absence of a guarantee that any product candidates, if approved, will be commercially successful, the future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, Sanofi's ability to benefit from external growth opportunities, to complete related transactions and/or obtain regulatory clearances, risks associated with existing clinical data relating to the product, including post marketing, unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, competition in general, risks associated with intellectual property and any related pending or future litigation and the ultimate outcome of such litigation, trends in exchange rates and prevailing interest rates, volatile economic and market conditions, cost containment initiatives and subsequent changes thereto, and the impact that global crises may have on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and other business partners, and the financial condition of any one of them, as well as on our employees and on the global economy as a whole. The risks and uncertainties also include the uncertainties discussed or identified in the public filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') and the Autorité des marchés financiers made by Sanofi, including those listed under 'Risk Factors' and 'Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements' in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements. Attachment Press ReleaseSign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Acquisitions, Licensing Deals Take Centerstage in Pharma/Biotech Space
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) have picked up significant pace in 2025 in the pharma/biotech sector after a passive run in 2024. The recent spree of acquisitions signifies a focus on portfolio expansion and constant pipeline innovation, given the changing landscape and spotlight on AI-driven drug discovery. Simultaneously, bigwigs in the space also enter into licensing deals and collaborations for a promising drug/candidate to strengthen and expand their portfolios in their respective core areas. Pharma giant Sanofi SNY recently announced that it will acquire Blueprint Medicines for a total deal value of up to $9.5 billion to expand its portfolio in rare immunological disease and add an early-stage pipeline in immunology. The impending acquisition will add Blueprint Medicines' only marketed product, Ayvakit (avapritinib), an inhibitor of KIT and PDGFRA proteins, to Sanofi's commercial portfolio. Bristol Myers Squibb BMY recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with BioNTech for the global co-development and co-commercialization of the latter's investigational bispecific antibody BNT327 across numerous solid tumor types. BNT327, a next-generation bispecific antibody candidate, targets PD-L1 and VEGF-A. Per the terms, BMY will make an upfront payment of $1.5 billion to BioNTech. In addition, BioNTech will also receive $2 billion in non-contingent anniversary payments through 2028. Developing bispecific antibodies that target two proteins, namely PD-1 and VEGF, has lately been one of the lucrative areas in cancer treatment, attracting other pharma giants as well. In May 2025, Pfizer inked a licensing agreement with 3SBio for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of SSGJ-707, a bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF, outside China. While oncology and immuno-oncology companies have always been at the top of acquisition targets, the lucrative obesity sector and gene-editing space are also being eyed. Last week, Regeneron REGN entered into an in-licensing agreement for an obesity drug with Hansoh Pharmaceuticals Group Company Limited, in a bid to expand its clinical-stage obesity portfolio. The licensing agreement with Hansoh Pharma provides Regeneron with HS-20094, a GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist. Consolidation has long been a central focus in the pharma/biotech industry. This is because leading companies constantly look to diversify their revenue base in the face of dwindling sales of their high-profile drugs. Acquisitions also make sense as developing a drug/technology from scratch is costly and risky. In April, pharma giant Johnson & Johnson acquired Intra-Cellular Therapies for approximately $14.6 billion and added antidepressant drug, Caplyta, to its neuroscience portfolio. Swiss pharma bigwig Novartis NVS, too, has been on an acquisition spree. Novartis is all set to acquire San Diego-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Regulus Therapeutics to strengthen its renal disease portfolio. Regulus' lead asset, farabursen, is a potential first-in-class, next-generation oligonucleotide targeting miR-17 for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. In April, Germany-based Merck KGaA announced that it will acquire SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. for $3.9 billion to expand business in the United States. SpringWorks Therapeutics, a U.S.-based biopharma company, has a portfolio that comprises a first-in-class, systemic standard-of-care therapy in adults with desmoid tumors and the first and only approved therapy for adults and children with neurofibromatosis type 1-associated plexiform neurofibromas. We expect M&A activity to accelerate further in 2025, given the massive cash reserve owned by major pharma and biotech companies. These companies will also look to utilize innovative technology to develop breakthrough treatments rapidly as the landscape evolves. Moreover, smaller biotechs often lack the necessary funds to successfully develop a drug and commercialize thereafter. The recent spotlight on the usage of AI technology for drug discovery should lure investment in this industry. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sanofi (SNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Novartis AG (NVS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMY) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
06-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Sanofi (SNY) Takes Bold $9.5Bn Immunology Leap
Sanofi (SNY) has its hands full—in the best way possible—after announcing its $9.5 billion acquisition of Blueprint Medicines. This marks the French pharma giant's fourth major strategic acquisition this year, but this deal stands out. Sanofi isn't just picking up a drug or two; it's gaining access to a robust immunology pipeline of internally developed therapies. In addition to securing Ayvakit, a treatment for systemic mastocytosis, the acquisition reinforces Sanofi's shift toward high-value biopharma assets. Despite recent stock underperformance, this bold move strengthens my long-term bullish outlook on Sanofi. Confident Investing Starts Here: Sanofi's Strategic Pivot Towards High-Value Biopharma Sanofi's recent sale of Opella, its consumer healthcare division, highlights a broader strategic shift toward prioritizing high-margin biopharma operations. The company has seen major success with Dupixent—a blockbuster drug for inflammatory conditions like COPD and dermatitis, which generated over $13 billion in sales last year and now makes up nearly 30% of Sanofi's total revenue. This move underscores Sanofi's commitment to doubling down on its most profitable and innovative drug assets. Immediate Ayvakit Revenue Sanofi's acquisition of Blueprint, while a sizable investment, brings immediate benefits in both revenue diversification and pipeline strength. Ayvakit, approved for treating advanced systemic mastocytosis (AdvSM) in 2021 and indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) in 2023, addresses a rare disease with few treatment options. The drug generated $479 million in 2024, and Blueprint projected up to $720 million in revenue for 2025. With peak annual sales expected to reach around $2 billion before 2030, Ayvakit offers Sanofi a strong, near-term revenue driver, helping to de-risk the $9.1 billion upfront cost. Strategically, it's also a seamless addition to Sanofi's growing immunology portfolio. Boosting Sanofi's Immunology Future with Blueprint's Pipeline While Blueprint's pipeline includes several candidates, the spotlight is on two key assets: elenestinib and BLU-808. Elenestinib is a next-generation KIT D816V inhibitor currently in late-stage development for systemic mastocytosis (SM). It aims to improve upon the safety profile of Ayvakit, potentially appealing to patients who may avoid Ayvakit due to side effects such as fatigue and cognitive impairment, thereby expanding Sanofi's market share in SM. BLU-808, on the other hand, is an early-stage asset targeting a broader range of inflammatory conditions, including allergic asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Unlike SM, these are far more prevalent diseases, offering significantly larger commercial opportunities. Importantly, BLU-808 is tied to two contingent value rights (CVRs), which are dependent on achieving specific development and regulatory milestones. These CVRs provide a layer of downside protection for Sanofi—if BLU-808 fails in clinical trials, the company's overall payout for the asset is reduced. Navigating Margin Pressures with Strategic Investment All of this comes against the backdrop of ongoing margin pressures for Sanofi. The company has already walked back its 2025 operating margin target of 32%, citing pricing pressures in its legacy general medicines segment and a ramp-up in R&D spending. While Sanofi remains active in diabetes with drugs like Lantus and Toujeo, these products now face significant pricing headwinds from generics, making them far less profitable than they once were. The Blueprint acquisition underscores Sanofi's renewed focus on innovation and high-margin biopharma assets. Though this pivot comes at the cost of near-term margin dilution, it reflects a longer-term strategy: investing in R&D today in hopes of developing the next wave of blockbuster therapies. In this context, Sanofi is clearly still in the midst of a strategic transformation—one currently anchored by the strong performance of Dupixent. Unlike previous 'bolt-on' deals that added just a drug or two, the Blueprint acquisition marks a more decisive step toward reshaping Sanofi's portfolio around premium, next-generation therapeutics. What is the Price Prediction for SNY Stock? On Wall Street, SNY sports a consensus Moderate Buy rating based on two Buy, three Hold, and zero Sell ratings in the past three months. Sanofi's average stock price target of $62.20 implies ~25% upside potential over the next 12 months. Last week, analyst Sachin Jain from Bank of America Securities maintained a Buy rating on SNY. The analyst was bullish on Sanofi's pipeline, particularly itepekimab, despite it failing in one of two Phase 3 trials for COPD. Moreover, he noted that 'Sanofi's low price-to-earnings ratio, reflecting limited pipeline upside, is seen as an opportunity given the promising data from these trials, indicating a potential R&D turnaround for the company.' Blueprint Deal Seals the Verdict on SNY In summary, Sanofi's acquisition of Blueprint offers both near-term revenue and long-term growth potential. Ayvakit serves as a valuable bolt-on asset, while pipeline candidates like elenestinib and BLU-808 significantly enhance Sanofi's immunology portfolio. More importantly, the deal reflects Sanofi's strategic pivot toward higher-margin biopharma assets at a time when older drugs like Lantus are facing profitability headwinds. Though the investment may pressure margins in the short run, it sets the stage for long-term growth in a high-value segment of the pharmaceutical market. Notably, the deal is expected to be EPS accretive by 2027, thanks to Ayvakit's revenue potential, which will help justify and offset a large portion of the upfront $9.5 billion cost. Overall, Sanofi has secured a promising set of assets at a reasonable valuation while extending its leadership in immunology beyond Dupixent. With a modest P/E ratio of 20.5 and a solid 3.27% dividend yield, SNY stands out as a compelling long-term investment opportunity for investors seeking to tap into the expanding biopharmaceutical space.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sanofi to acquire Blueprint for up to $9.5B
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. Looking to further amp up its immunology business, Sanofi has agreed to acquire Blueprint Medicines in a deal that could be worth as much as $9.5 billion. Blueprint's research revolves around an enzyme made by a gene called KIT. This 'tyrosine kinase' enzyme helps control cell development, division and survival, so if it mutates, it can spur the type of uncontrolled cell growth seen in cancer and some rare diseases. Blueprint already has one medicine approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Ayvakit, and is working on a handful of others, two of which are in human testing. The FDA first approved Ayvakit in early 2020 for a rare kind of hard-to-treat gastrointestinal tumor, and specifically for the small subset of adults who have these tumors and certain mutations. Since then, the agency cleared the medicine as a treatment for both the less and more aggressive forms of 'systemic mastocytosis,' an uncommon disorder where a kind of white blood cell known as a mast cell builds up in the bone marrow, digestive tract, skin and other organs. The accumulation can lead to severe inflammation and organ damage. Last year, Blueprint posted $479 million in net product revenue from Ayvakit. The company used to have another marketed cancer drug, Gavreto, which it was co-developing and commercializing with Roche. But Roche ultimately backed away from that alliance, leading Blueprint to sell away rights to Rigel Pharmaceuticals in early 2024. In a statement announcing the deal, Sanofi highlighted the recent trajectory in Ayvakit sales. They were up more than 60%, for example, between the first quarter of 2024 and the same three-month period this year. Blueprint recorded a $67 million net loss in 2024, compared to a more than half-a-billion-dollar net loss in each of the previous two years. The proposed acquisition 'represents a strategic step forward in our rare and immunology portfolios,' Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson said in the Monday statement. 'It enhances our pipeline and accelerates our transformation into the world's leading immunology company.' Hudson added that his company maintains a 'sizeable capacity for further acquisitions.' After being an active dealmaker over the past few years, the French pharmaceutical giant still had close to 8 billion euros in cash and cash equivalents at the end of March. Sanofi bought the diabetes drug developer Provention Bio for almost $3 billion in 2023 and the rare disease-focused Inhibrix for $2.2 billion in 2024. And just last month, it agreed to spend $470 million on Vigil Neuroscience, a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company touting an Alzheimer's disease drug that just finished an early-stage human study. Similar to its Vigil proposal, Sanofi is offering Blueprint investors a so-called contingent value right that could be worth up to $6 per Blueprint share, provided one of the biotech's experimental drugs, 'BLU-808,' hits certain development and regulatory goals. BLU-808 is in mid-stage testing as a possible treatment for chronic hives and an allergy-related condition that causes runny eyes and a congested nose. Blueprint also believes the drug could be useful in treating allergic asthma and 'mast cell activation syndrome.' Another Blueprint drug, elenestinib, is further along, having advanced to a late-stage study for the slower-moving form of systemic mastocytosis. Sanofi's upfront payment of $9.1 billion values Blueprint shares at $129 apiece, reflecting a premium of about 27% from the biotech's closing stock price on Friday. The transaction is expected to close sometime between July and the end of September, according to Sanofi. Andrew Berens, an analyst at the investment firm Leerink Partners, wrote in a note to clients how his team expected Blueprint to land on the 'strategic radar of large pharma' given Ayvakit is on the path to $1 billion or more in annual sales and the company recently raised its financial guidance for this year. However, the deal came sooner than anticipated, ahead of a key data readout for a rival drug from Cogent Biosciences. Cogent's bezuclastinib is also being evaluated as a treatment for systemic mastocytosis, with results set to arrive in the next couple months. Regardless of how strong or weak those results will be, Berens believes they'd serve as a tailwind for Blueprint 'by removing a key overhang and allowing a strategic acquirer to structure a deal based on assumptions about ... market dynamics.' As such, Cogent's data could have propped up Blueprint's share price, 'which may have been an impetus for Sanofi to do the deal now,' Berens posited. Even so, the analyst still sees Sanofi's bid as a positive for Blueprint and this field of research. Cogent shares were down by about 2% late Monday morning. Recommended Reading Blueprint wins key FDA approval for rare disease drug Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
