BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Genentech departs from script

November 13, 2006 8:00 AM UTC

Genentech Inc. last week made the first acquisition in its 30-year history, but the company made clear that its decision to buy partner Tanox Inc. was based on an expectation of future growth of asthma drug Xolair omalizumab and should not be seen as a rethinking of the way it builds its pipeline. The deal will simplify the marketing arrangement for Xolair that previously involved Novartis AG as well as Tanox, and DNA expects the transaction to be accretive in 2008 by expanding the anti-IgE MAb's label and market penetration.

DNA (South San Francisco, Calif.) will acquire TNOX (Houston, Texas) for $20 per share in cash, or about $919 million. ...