The American biopharmaceutical Amgen announced, this Monday (12), that it reached an agreement to buy Horizon Therapeutics, a laboratory specialized in drugs for rare and autoimmune diseases, for US$ 27.8 billion (R$ 145.6 billion) , the biggest acquisition of the year in the healthcare sector.
California-based Amgen said it will pay $116.50 a share for Horizon Therapeutics, up 20% from the closing price on Wall Street on Friday. .
Amgen explained that it will finance the purchase with a bank loan of US$ 28.5 billion (R$ 149.3 billion).
The deal is subject to approval by US regulators and, if all goes well, should close in the first half of 2023, according to Amgen.
Founded in 2005, Horizon Therapeutics develops and markets drugs for rare, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Shares in Horizon Therapeutics, based in Ireland but traded on the US Nasdaq index, rose 15% in electronic trading before Wall Street opened on Monday.
Amgen shares fell 2.6%.
In response to an article in The Wall Street Journal, Horizon Therapeutics said last month that it was in preliminary talks with Amgen, but also with Johnson & Johnson and French company Sanofi.
The acquisition of Horizon “is consistent with our strategy to drive long-term growth by providing innovative medicines that address the needs of patients with serious illnesses,” said Robert Bradway, CEO of Amgen.
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