Vertex acquisterà Alpine Immune Sciences per $4.9 miliardi in un’altra grande operazione nel settore biotech di Seattle

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Agrees to Acquire Alpine Immune Sciences for $4.9 Billion

A Boston-based biotech company, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has reached an agreement to acquire Seattle-based Alpine Immune Sciences for $65 per share, amounting to a total of about $4.9 billion in cash.
This represents a significant 38% premium over Alpine’s closing price on Wednesday afternoon.

The premium could have been even higher, approximately 67%, based on Alpine’s closing price on Tuesday.
The surge in the company’s stock by 21% during regular trading on Wednesday was triggered by reports from Bloomberg News indicating a potential sale.

Alpine’s Focus on Immunotherapy and Promising Pipeline

Alpine Immune Sciences specializes in developing immunotherapies aimed at tackling cancer, kidney disease, and various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
Their approach involves engineering proteins that can modulate the body’s immune response to these ailments.

During discussions with investors, Alpine’s CEO, Mitchell Gold, expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, highlighting the potential benefits for patients from the company’s product pipeline.
Of particular mention was povetacicept (ALPN-303), a treatment designed for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, set to commence Stage 3 clinical trials in the latter part of this year.

Gold, who previously held leadership roles at biotech startup Dendreon and founded health-care investment firm Alpine BioVentures, sees this acquisition as a pivotal moment for the company and its employees.

Seattle Biotech Sector Sees Wave of Acquisitions

The deal between Vertex and Alpine adds to the trend of significant acquisitions in the biotech industry within the Seattle region.
Recent transactions include ProfoundBio’s acquisition by Genmab for $1.8 billion, AstraZeneca’s $1.1 billion purchase of Icosovax, and Pfizer’s $43 billion takeover of Seagen.

Following suit, Novartis finalized a $3.2 billion acquisition of Chinook Therapeutics, while CTI BioPharma was bought by Sobi for $1.7 billion.
These movements underscore the attractiveness of Seattle as a hub for biotech innovation and investment.

The acquisition of Alpine by Vertex is expected to conclude in the second quarter, with unanimous approval from both companies’ boards.
Alpine, established in 2015 and taken public in 2017 through a merger with Nivalis, had 142 employees as of late 2023, with a focus on research and development as well as general administrative functions.

Throughout its journey, Alpine has secured additional funding, including a $91 million private placement in 2021 led by investors such as Frazier Healthcare Partners, a prominent player in the Seattle biotech investment landscape.