Japanese Pharma Giants Make Bold Moves in M&A and Drug Development

Johnson & Johnson has paid $245m upfront for global development and commercialisation rights to two early-stage, autologous CAR-T therapy programmes from CBMG, which has a track record of allying itself with the biggest names in the development world. Astellas Pharma is to buy Iveric Bio for $5.9bn in cash, while Pfizer is focusing on M&A and oncology as Covid sales decline. The US government's court battle has begun over Gilead HIV drug patents, while Boehringer Ingelheim is to construct a $300m+ facility at its HQ. Sanofi is using its sponsorship of the Paris Olympics to encourage employees to find their potential, while Novo Nordisk is teaming up with a professional soccer player living with type 1 diabetes to highlight the possibilities of a life with the chronic disease.