Amgen, which is building huge plant in Triangle, to acquire biotech in $26.4B deal

Amgen, which has big plans for a presence in the Research Triangle region, will acquire Horizon Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on treatments for rare, autoimmune diseases, in a deal valued at approximately $26.4 billion.

Each Horizon shareholder will receive $116.50 per share for each share they own. Amgen said Monday that the deal has an enterprise value of about $28.3 billion.

Amgen announced in August plans to build a new plant in Holly Springs for biologics manufacturing, creating 355 jobs that will pay an average wage of nearly $120,000 a year.

The expansion was approved by the North Carolina Department of Commerce Economic Investment Committee at a meeting Tuesday morning.

U.S.-traded shares of Horizon soared about 30%, past $100, after the company confirmed late last month that it had begun “highly preliminary discussions” about an acquisition with Amgen, the French drugmaker Sanofi, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division.

Life science firm Amgen picks Holly Springs for plant, hundreds of jobs at $120,000 pay

Amgen confirmed discussions were taking place in early this month and said at the time that any offer it made for Horizon likely would be in cash, but also that there was no guarantee an offer would be made.

A day later, Johnson & Johnson said that it did not intend to make an offer.

Horizon Therapeutics PLC, based in Dublin, develops potential treatments for rare, autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. Its best-seller, Tepezza, is only approved in the United States and treats eye bulging and double vision from thyroid eye disease.

U.S. regulators approved Tepezza in early 2020 as the first treatment for thyroid eye disease. The drug’s sales more than doubled last year to $1.67 billion. That’s about half of the company’s total sales of $3.23 billion.

The FDA gave Tepezza “orphan drug” status, which comes with financial incentives and exclusive marketing, benefits that are intended to encourage drugmakers to develop rare disease treatments.

Horizon also makes Krystexxa for uncontrolled gout. Sales of that treatment grew 39% last year to $565.5 million.

The post Amgen, which is building huge plant in Triangle, to acquire biotech in $26.4B deal first appeared on WRAL TechWire.

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