Pfizer to buy migraine drugmaker Biohaven in US$11.6b deal

PFIZER said on Tuesday it will buy migraine drug maker Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company for about US$11.6 billion in cash, as the drugmaker seeks to beef up its portfolio ahead of patent losses for some cancer drugs.

Through the deal, Pfizer will gain access to Biohaven’s approved drug Rimegepant that belong to a class of migraine drugs known as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors.

Pfizer built a cash pile on the back of success with its Covid-19 vaccine and oral drug Paxlovid, with some investors expecting it to spend on deals as it faces the loss of patent protection for key drugs in the next few years.

Last year, the company decided to buy Canadian drug developer Trillium Therapeutics in a US$2.26 billion deal, followed by a US$6.7 billion deal for drug developer Arena Pharmaceuticals.

Pfizer said it will acquire all the outstanding shares of Biohaven that it does not already own for US$148.50 per share in cash, a 78.6 per cent premium to Biohaven’s last closing price. Pfizer has a 2.6 per cent stake in the company.

Biohaven’s shares jumped 71.2 per cent to $142.31 before the bell, while Pfizer shares fell 1.3% to $47.99.

SEE ALSO

Pfizer takeover makes dent in a US$32b stock-market slump

Rimegepant, marketed as Nurtec ODT in the United States, was approved in 2020 to treat acute migraine attacks and it won expanded approval for the prevention of migraine episodes in May last year. The treatment brought in sales of US$462.5 million in 2021.

Biohaven shareholders, including Pfizer, will also get 0.5 of a share of a new publicly traded company that will retain Biohaven’s non-CGRP treatments that are in development stage. REUTERS