With the acquisition, AstraZeneca now has an enhanced presence in rare diseases and immunology fields, using Alexion’s complement-biology platform
AstraZeneca closes Alexion acquisition. (Credit: Adam Radosavljevic from Pixabay.)
AstraZeneca has closed its previously announced acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals to create a new unit ‘Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease’, based in Boston, US.
The British drugmaker has paid the total consideration of $39bn, including around $13.3bn in cash and issued 236,321,411 new AstraZeneca shares to Alexion’s shareholders.
With the acquisition, AstraZeneca now has an enhanced presence in rare diseases and immunology fields using Alexion’s advanced complement-biology platform and pipeline.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said: “Today, we welcome our new colleagues from Alexion to AstraZeneca and begin a new chapter that will augment our growth for years to come.
“Our sustained R&D investment in oncology, cardiovascular and renal, as well as respiratory and immunology, has powered AstraZeneca’s transformation and now we add rare diseases, where fewer approved treatment options exist.”
AstraZeneca announced the signing of agreements to acquire US-based Alexion for a total consideration of $39bn in December last year.
In April this year, the company has secured the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval for the proposed acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals.
In May this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an anti-competition investigation into the proposed acquisition.
Earlier this month, AstraZeneca has secured the European Commission (EC) approval for its proposed acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals in a $39bn deal.
Alexion is a US-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of advanced therapies for people living with rare diseases.
Alexion incoming chief executive officer and Marc Dunoyer said: “I am delighted to be working alongside my new colleagues at Alexion where we will continue to discover, develop and deliver medicines that change the lives of people suffering from rare diseases.
“We look forward to also applying Alexion’s complement-biology platform across areas of AstraZeneca’s broader early-stage pipeline and, significantly, to the extraordinary opportunity to extend existing and future rare disease medicines to patients in many countries where AstraZeneca already has a strong presence.”