German pharmaceutical giant Bayer said on Monday, October 26, it will buy United States-based biotech firm Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) for as much as $4 billion as it aims to get a foothold in the rapidly growing gene-therapy market.
“With this acquisition, Bayer significantly advances the establishment of a cell and gene therapy platform that can be at the forefront of breakthrough science,” chief executive Werner Baumann said in a statement.
Bayer, which hopes to close the deal by the end of the year, said it will pay $2 billion (1.7 billion euros) upfront and a further $2 billion in milestone payments, 75% of which will be paid over the next 5 years.
North Carolina-based AskBio, founded in 2001, specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of gene therapies and has in its pipeline treatments for Parkinson’s disease and congestive heart failure.
Bayer’s previous investments in biotechnology include the acquisition of cell-therapy focused BlueRock Therapeutics for up to $1 billion in 2019.
The sprawling German company lost 9.5 billion euros in the 2nd quarter of this year, reflecting legal costs after its controversial purchase of Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018.
It expects to save 1.5 billion euros by 2024, on top of the 2.6 billion euros of annual savings it expects to make from 2022, Bayer said earlier in October. – Rappler.com
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