Tag Archives: jnj

Achillion Dives As J&J Hep C Deal Chills Buyout Buzz

Analysts gave mixed reviews Wednesday to Achillion Pharmaceuticals’ (ACHN) new partnership with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), as the stock plunged. UBS and JMP Securities both downgraded the stock to neutral as the potential for a massive value-creating event, like a buyout, is limited by the hepatitis-C drug deal. As recently as Monday, Achillion Pharmaceuticals shares shot up 15.3% on buzz that hepatitis-C giant Gilead Sciences (GILD) might buy the

Achillion, J&J To Jointly Develop Hepatitis C Drugs

Small biotech Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN) announced late Tuesday that it had entered a collaboration with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) to develop its hepatitis C drugs, potentially worth more than $1 billion. J&J agreed to invest $225 million in Achillion upfront, and promised up to $1.1 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestone payments if the companies successfully launch their pipeline of drugs treating the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

DepoMed Set To Grow On ‘Transformative’ Nucynta Deal

This is setting up to be a big year for specialty drugmaker DepoMed. After years of lumpy quarters driven by licensing deals with other drugmakers, DepoMed (DEPO) is coming into its own as an independent commercial pharma. It’s developed or acquired six approved products, most recently the regular and extended-release versions of pain medicine Nucynta, in a deal with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) that closed April 2. Analysts expect 165% profit growth