Late in a year of cancer deals, Gilead spends $1B+ to add an antiviral for HDV

Near the end of a year when most of Gilead’s over $30 billion in deals were in cancer, the company’s latest billion-dollar acquisition showed an appetite for growth in its area of greatest historical strength: antivirals.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) will pay close to €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) up front to acquire MYR GmbH, giving it a marketed antiviral that will complement its existing hepatitis franchise. MYR’s Hepcludex bulevirtide gained conditional approval in the EU in July to treat chronic hepatitis D viral infection with compensated liver disease, based on Phase II data...