Celgene acquires Juno Therapeutics for $9 billion

Almost simultaneously with Sanofi’s acquisition of Bioverativ, Celgene has announced its intention to acquire Juno Therapeutics, at a price representing an 87% premium of its stock price. The $8-billion cost is exclusive of Celgene’s existing 9.7% ownership of Juno stock (and other considerations). The two companies have been working together since 2015 on treatments based on T-cell immunotherapy.

Both companies have targeted blood cancers, with Celgene’s Revlimid (lenalidomide) blockbuster treatment for myeloma getting closer to its patent expiration, and Juno’s JCAR017 (lisocabtagene maraleucel), targeting lymphoma, expected to be approved in 2019. Celgene has also added a smaller company, Impact Biomedicines, for $1.1 billion and future considerations, earlier in January.