Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ:VRTX has agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ:CRNX for about $10 billion, expanding its reach beyond blood disorders and pain into rare endocrine diseases.
The move adds to a growing list of high-profile transactions over the past decade by U.S. pharmaceutical companies to acquire promising therapies in fields ranging from oncology and neurology to rare diseases and obesity.
Below are some of the major deals involving U.S.-based pharma and biotech firms from the past decade:
Year Acquirer Target Deal Value Description | 2026 Vertex Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ:VRTX Crinetics Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ:CRNX About $10 billion To expand its portfolio in rare hormonal diseases | 2026 Merck KGaA XETR:MRK Bio-Techne NASDAQ:TECH $11.3 billion To expand its presence in the life sciences market with access to research and bioprocessing tools | 2026 AbbVie NYSE:ABBV Apogee Therapeutics NASDAQ:APGE $10.9 billion To expand immunology pipeline | 2026 GSK LSE:GSK Nuvalent NASDAQ:NUVL $10.6 billion To expand late-stage cancer drug pipeline | 2026 Boston Scientific NYSE:BSX Penumbra NYSE:PEN $14.5 billion To expand vascular pipeline | 2025 Abbott <ABT.N> Exact Sciences (EXAS.O) up to $23 billion To gain access to Exact Sciences' cancer tests, including flagship colorectal cancer test Cologuard | 2025 Merck NYSE:MRK Cidara Therapeutics (CDTX.O) $9.2 billion To gain access to Cidara's experimental drug for flu prevention | 2025 Pfizer NYSE:PFE Metsera (MTSR.O) $10 billion To gain a foothold in the fast-growing obesity treatment market | 2025 Merck & Co NYSE:MRK Verona Pharma (I9SAy.F) About $10 billion Strengthens Merck's respiratory portfolio amid looming Keytruda patent cliff | 2025 Johnson & Johnson NYSE:JNJ Intra-Cellular Therapies $14.6 billion Expands J&J's footprint in brain disease treatments | 2024 Novo Holdings Catalent $16.5 billion (including debt), $11.5 billion (excluding debt) Boosts manufacturing capacity for Novo Nordisk's popular obesity drug Wegovy | 2023 Merck & Co Prometheus Biosciences $10.8 billion Adds experimental treatment for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and builds up presence in immunology | 2023 Bristol Myers Squibb NYSE:BMY Karuna Therapeutics $14 billion BMY gains a promising antipsychotic medicine as patents on its older therapies near their expiry | 2023 Pfizer NYSE:PFE Seagen $43 billion Builds Pfizer's cancer portfolio amid decline in sales for COVID-related products and generic competition | 2022 Amgen NASDAQ:AMGN Horizon Therapeutics $27.8 billion Buyout, biggest in the sector in 2022, fortifies rare diseases portfolio | 2022 Pfizer Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding $11.6 billion Pfizer bets big on a new class of migraine drugs | 2021 Merck & Co Acceleron Pharma About $11.5 billion Diversifies Merck's portfolio beyond cancer | 2021 Ginkgo Bioworks NYSE:DNA Soaring Eagle Acquisition $17.5 billion Ginkgo goes public through a merger with a blank-check vehicle backed by former Hollywood executives Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky | 2020 AstraZeneca LSE:AZN Alexion Pharmaceuticals $39 billion AstraZeneca's largest-ever deal to diversify away from its cancer business, betting on rare-disease and immunology drugs | 2020 Bristol Myers Squibb MyoKardia About $13 billion Bolsters Bristol's portfolio of heart disease treatments | 2020 Gilead NASDAQ:GILD Immunomedics $21 billion Strengthens Gilead's cancer portfolio | 2019 Mylan Pfizer's Upjohn business About $12 billion Mylan's acquisition of Pfizer's Upjohn business was structured as a stock-based merger, resulting in the formation of Viatris NASDAQ:VTRS. Upjohn was essentially spun off to Pfizer shareholders and then merged with Mylan | 2019 AbbVie NYSE:ABBV Allergan $63 billion, $83 billion (including debt) AbbVie gains control of Botox and diversifies its portfolio beyond its then-blockbuster drug, Humira | 2019 Pfizer Array Biopharma $11.4 billion Pfizer gains oncology asset | 2019 Bristol Myers Squibb Celgene Corp $74 billion One of the largest pharmaceutical mergers in history | 2017 Johnson & Johnson NYSE:JNJ Actelion $30 billion Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary, Janssen Holding, acquires Actelion; Actelion's R&D unit spun off into Idorsia | 2017 Gilead Sciences Kite Pharma $11.9 billion Strengthens Gilead's position in the field of cell therapy, particularly in CAR-T treatments for cancer | 2016 Pfizer Medivation $14 billion Pfizer acquires blockbuster prostate cancer drug Xtandi | 2015 Shire Baxalta $32 billion Catapults Shire to leading position in treating rare diseases | 2015 AbbVie Pharmacyclics $21 billion AbbVie gets access to what is expected to be one of the world's top-selling cancer drugs and expands its reach in the profitable oncology field | 2015 Valeant Pharmaceuticals (now Bausch Health) Salix Pharmaceuticals $14.5 billion Makes Valeant a leader in gastrointestinal drugs | 2015 Pfizer Hospira $15 billion Deal creates leading global established pharmaceutical business for Pfizer |