Novo Nordisk has agreed to acquire Akero Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company that develops treatments for metabolic diseases, the company announced last week. Akero’s EFX pipeline Akero Therapeutics’ treatment for metabolic-dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) “is closely linked with Novo Nordisk’s expertise in diabetes and obesity,” the press release stated. More than 40% of patients with MASH, formerly…
2025 pharma M&A surges to $70 billion in major deals
Novo Nordisk’s $5.2 billion acquisition of Akero Therapeutics sits at the center of 2025’s hottest M&A space: MASH/metabolic disease. The deal, announced October 9, represents the largest of three major Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) analog acquisitions in five months. Across the broader landscape, 2025 pharma M&A activity reached approximately $70 billion in upfront consideration…
25-plus years of Big Pharma megadeals
In February, Novo Holdings announced one of the largest M&A deals in recent memory with its plans to acquire Catalent, a leading contract drug manufacturer, for a cool $16.5 billion. The deal could accelerate production of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss medications, Ozempic and Wegovy, given skyrocketing demand. But while the Novo-Catalent deal marks…
Biotech bloodbath? Nearly 100 companies announce layoffs in the first half of 2023, but job openings also surge
The first half of 2023 brought job cuts to roughly 100 biotech and pharma companies. But while that may indicate an unstable employment landscape, it is not a universal trend. Since March, appetite for life sciences talent has gathered steam. According to data from real-estate firm JLL, June 2023 had the sixth highest number of…