Gilead to buy cancer biotech Tubulis in US$5 billion deal
After the deal closes, Tubulis will become a research arm within Gilead
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[CALIFORNIA] Gilead Sciences agreed to buy private German biotech Tubulis GmbH in a deal worth up to US$5 billion as it looks to boost its portfolio in a hot new area of cancer drug development, according to people familiar with the matter.
An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
Gilead will pay US$3.15 billion upfront in cash, and up to US$1.85 billion more if certain milestones are met, according to a source familiar with the deal. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter, the person said.
Spokespeople for Gilead and Tubulis didn’t comment ahead of the announcement.
Tubulis is a key competitor in a new type of medicine that involves delivering potent cancer-killing compounds directly into tumours. Called antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, the resulting drugs have the potential to improve on existing medicines. The field has also driven a wave of pharmaceutical tie-ups, including Pfizer’s US$43 billion purchase of Seagen in 2023.
Gilead already sells an ADC drug used for breast cancer called Trodelvy. Tubulis is testing potential medicines in patient trials for ovarian and lung cancer, as well as other types of tumours. It has a partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb as well as an existing partnership with Gilead on one of its medicines.
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After the deal closes, Tubulis will become an ADC research arm within Gilead, according to a person familiar with the plans.
This would be Gilead’s third significant deal this year. In March, it said it would buy Ouro Medicines, a closely held company testing antibody drugs against autoimmune diseases, for up to US$2.18 billion. In February, the company said it planned to buy the cancer-focused biotech Arcellx for as much as US$7.8 billion to boost its pipeline. BLOOMBERG
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