A week after UCB bought Ra to get hold of its complement inhibitor, Alexion takes out Achillion for much the same reason.
The $2bn takeout of Ra Pharmaceuticals provides solace for investors bemoaning the biotech market’s poor performance.
Achillion’s pivot to a next-gen project in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria is an admission that its first attempt to compete with Alexion’s Soliris has fallen short.
Verona Pharma needs another COPD win, while Alexion seeks a new use for its Soliris successor.
Promising data in myasthenia gravis, plus a pledge to compete on price, means that Ra Pharmaceuticals’ zilucoplan could soon give Alexion a headache – and others are…