Only days after the acquisition of Karuna Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb has announced another multi-billion-dollar buy. The Princeton-based drug maker has announced a definitive merger agreement under which it will acquire San Diego-based RayzeBio for $62.50 per share in cash, for a total equity value of approximately $4.1 billion. 

RayzeBio is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical therapeutics (RPT) company with an innovation-leading position in actinium-based RPTs and a pipeline of potentially first-in-class and best-in-class drug development programs. Current pipeline programs are targeting the treatment of solid tumors, including gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers. There remains a high, unmet need for more effective treatments in solid tumors, and RPTs enable a precision approach to patient treatment. RPTs bind to tumor cells and deliver targeted radiation to induce cancer cell death. Actinium-based RPTs offer potential advantages over currently available RPTs since the high potency and short firing range of the alpha-emitter create the possibility for stronger efficacy and more targeted delivery.

“This transaction enhances our increasingly diversified oncology portfolio by bringing a differentiated platform and pipeline, and further strengthens our growth opportunities in the back half of the decade and beyond,” said Christopher Boerner, Chief Executive Officer of Bristol Myers Squibb. “Radiopharmaceutical therapeutics are already transforming cancer care, and RayzeBio is at the forefront of pioneering the application of this novel modality. We look forward to supporting and accelerating RayzeBio’s preclinical and clinical programs and advancing its highly innovative radiopharmaceutical platform.”

“Acquiring RayzeBio’s differentiated actinium-based radiopharmaceutical platform will establish Bristol Myers Squibb’s presence in one of the most promising and fastest-growing new modalities for the treatment of patients with solid tumors – delivering radioactive payloads to cancer cells in a targeted manner,” said Samit Hirawat, Chief Medical Officer, Drug Development of Bristol Myers Squibb. “In addition, RayzeBio’s platform has the potential to be a significant IND engine, generating several therapeutic candidates in the future by leveraging our global drug development capabilities and infrastructure.”