Hims to buy Australia’s Eucalyptus for $240M upfront in global push
Ngai Yeung / endpoints - In a bid to build out its global presence, Hims is buying Australian digital health company Eucalyptus in a deal worth $240 million upfront. The deal announced Thursday morning would allow Hims to launch in ...
AI Summary: Hims & Hers is moving aggressively into international telehealth by acquiring Australia’s Eucalyptus, a deal various reports value in the low‑to‑mid hundreds of millions to over a billion depending on earnouts. The purchase gives the U.S. digital health company an immediate footprint in Australia, Japan and other markets as it chases global scale.
Prime Healthcare Foundation acquires Maine health system
Sydney Halleman / healthcaredive - Nonprofit Prime Foundation, an affiliate of for-profit hospital operator Prime Healthcare, now owns 21 hospitals across eight states.
AI Summary: Prime Healthcare Foundation finalized its acquisition of a Maine health system, marking another step in the organization's regional consolidation strategy. The deal adds hospitals to Prime’s portfolio and underscores ongoing consolidation trends as systems seek scale to manage financial and operational pressures.
Walgreens to lay off hundreds of employees
Dani James / healthcaredive - The drugstore retailer said it was simplifying its organization to speed up decision-making in a move impacting at least 600 workers.
AI Summary: Walgreens is planning significant staff reductions—hundreds of roles eliminated—as part of a corporate reorganization intended to simplify decision‑making and reduce costs under new ownership. The layoffs are concentrated across multiple states and reflect broader retail pharmacy cost‑cutting pressures.
Federal judge vacates FTC's expanded premerger notification requirements
fiercehealthcare - The overhaul to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form went into effect in early 2025, and by the regulator's own estimates expanded merging companies' average paperwork burdens from 37 hours to 105 hours. The court's ordered rollback is set to take effect Feb. 19 pe…
AI Summary: A U.S. federal judge vacated the 2025 overhaul of the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino premerger filing rules that had broadened reporting obligations for merging parties. The ruling halts the expanded notification regime, reshaping near‑term M&A compliance expectations and leaving companies—and regulators—scrambling to reassess merger filing practices.
Eli Lilly Expands Its In Vivo Ambitions, Acquiring Cell Therapy Startup Orna for up to $2.4B
Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - Orna Therapeutics brings Eli Lilly an in vivo cell therapy ready for Phase 1 testing as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. Lilly is now the latest pharma company to use M&A to enter this growing field, following deals made in the past year by …
AI Summary: Eli Lilly is acquiring Orna Therapeutics for up to $2.4 billion to secure in‑vivo cell‑therapy capabilities and jump‑start its presence in CAR‑T and immune‑resetting platforms. The deal signals big pharma’s move to couple traditional drug development muscle with next‑generation cell‑engineering, accelerating clinical testing and commercialization plans.
‘Vertical integration is destroying people’s ability to access care’: Payer CEOs face bipartisan congressional grilling
Jakob Emerson / beckershospitalreview - The CEOs of the nation’s largest health insurers drew the ire of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle during congressional hearings Jan. 22 over industry consolidation, prior authorization practices and executive pay, with members pressing executives to e…
AI Summary: Lawmakers grilled top health insurance executives in a high‐profile congressional hearing over rising healthcare costs, vertical integration and shifting of cost burdens to hospitals and drug makers. The grilling highlighted deep concerns over patient access and systemic inefficiencies in American healthcare.
CHS signs $450M hospital sale to Huntsville Hospital Health System
fiercehealthcare - The deal for 180-bed Crestwood Medical Center, set to close in Q2, will add a fifteenth hospital to the northern Alabama-based nonprofit system.
AI Summary: Community Health Systems announced the sale of its 180‐bed Crestwood Medical Center in Alabama for $450 million to Huntsville Hospital Health System. The deal—set to close in Q2—forms part of CHS’s broader strategy to pare down debt through selective asset divestment.
Merck Could Strike 30 Billion Deal for Revolution Medicines
oncodaily - According to the Financial Times, Merck is in talks to acquire Revolution Medicines, a Redwood City, California-based cancer drug developer, in a deal that could value the company at roughly […]
AI Summary: Merck is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Revolution Medicines—a Redwood City–based cancer drug developer—in a deal that could be worth around $30 billion. A separate report adds speculative color, reinforcing market buzz about this strategic move in oncology.
New Jersey system to join RWJBarnabas
Kristin Kuchno / beckershospitalreview - West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health and Englewood (N.J.) Health have signed a definitive agreement under which Englewood would become part of RWJBarnabas Health. The transaction is subject to state and federal regulatory approvals, according to a J…
AI Summary: A definitive agreement has been reached for Englewood Health to become part of West Orange–based RWJBarnabas Health, signaling a major consolidation in the New Jersey market. The merger is expected to drive significant investment in regional hospital networks and overcome previous regulatory hurdles, marking a new phase in local healthcare integration.
Maimonides Health to merge with NYC Health + Hospitals supported by $2.2B state grant
fiercehealthcare - Brooklyn, New York-based Maimonides Health is merging with New York City's public health system NYC Health + Hospitals, the organizations announced Monday.
AI Summary: Brooklyn-based Maimonides Health is merging with New York City’s public health system, bolstered by a $2.2 billion state grant. The integration is expected to streamline services and strengthen healthcare delivery in the region, ultimately broadening patient access and improving community care.
AstraZeneca bets up to $2B on Jacobio’s pan-KRAS inhibitor for cancer
Ayisha Sharma / endpoints - AstraZeneca is spending $100 million upfront to secure ex-China rights for an early-stage cancer drug developed by Jacobio Pharma. The UK drugmaker will be responsible for advancing and selling the oral pan-KRAS inhibitor, JAB-23E73, in ...
AI Summary: Reports indicate that AstraZeneca has struck a global licensing agreement with Jacobio Pharma for its investigational pan‑KRAS inhibitor. With a deal value of up to $2 billion and an upfront commitment, the move is set to reinforce AstraZeneca’s oncology pipeline with next‑generation targeted therapy.
Sanofi buys hepatitis B vaccine maker Dynavax for $2.2B; gets CRL for MS drug
Elizabeth Cairns / endpoints - Sanofi is set to supplement its vaccine offering with the acquisition of Dynavax Technologies for $2.2 billion in cash, the companies said Wednesday. Separately, Sanofi said the ...
AI Summary: Two separate reports confirm that Sanofi has completed a $2.2 billion deal to acquire Dynavax Technologies. This strategic move strengthens Sanofi’s vaccine lineup by adding a commercially proven hepatitis B vaccine and a clinical‐stage shingles candidate, positioning the company for enhanced market competitiveness amid global pressures.
ChristianaCare, Virtua Health call off $6.3B merger plans
fiercehealthcare - ChristianaCare and Virtua Health have pulled the plug on their merger plans, jettisoning a deal that would have created a health system with a combined $6.3 billion in annual revenue.
AI Summary: Providers ChristianaCare and Virtua Health have abruptly halted merger discussions for a deal valued at $6.3 billion. Officials argue that operating independently will better serve their local communities, even if joining forces might have promised a blockbuster scale – proving once again that sometimes size isn’t everything.
Mikael Dolsten removes himself from board candidacy at Novo; Bavarian Nordic chairman resigns
Alex Hoffman / endpoints - → In what appears to be another blow to Novo Nordisk, ex-Pfizer CSO Mikael Dolsten has withdrawn his nomination to join the company's board of directors due to ...
AI Summary: Merck has made a blockbuster move by finalizing a $9.2 billion deal to acquire Cidara Therapeutics’ late‐stage anti‐influenza candidate. This acquisition underscores Merck’s commitment to expanding its antiviral portfolio and marks a key strategic investment in advancing flu prevention amid evolving global health threats.
Pfizer’s Sweeter $10B Offer Beats Novo Nordisk in Bidding War for Obesity Biotech Metsera
Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - Pfizer’s offer of up to $86.25 in cash for each share of obesity drugs developer Metsera share tops the up to $86.20 Novo Nordisk was willing to pay. The financial consideration and the greater certainly of a deal close tipped the balance in Pfizer’s favo…
AI Summary: In a dramatic showdown over obesity biotech firm Metsera, Pfizer’s up-to-$10B cash offer edged out Novo Nordisk’s bid. The fiercely competitive deal highlights the high stakes and intense market focus on innovative therapeutics in obesity management.
Pfizer poised to buy Metsera in $10 bn deal after bidding war
medicalxpress - Pfizer was poised to seal a takeover of Metsera on Saturday after its improved offer won over the biotechnology startup's board and Danish challenger Novo Nordisk called a halt to a back-and-forth bidding war.
AI Summary: In a dramatic bidding war for a promising biotech startup, Pfizer’s improved $10 billion offer prevailed—until Novo Nordisk raised its bid yet again. This high-stakes takeover tussle underscores the fierce competition and strategic importance of emerging therapies.