Icosavax deal gives AstraZeneca RSV combo vaccine, VLP platform

AstraZeneca will augment its RSV business by acquiring Icosavax just as the biotech revealed immunogencity data from a Phase II trial of a combination vaccine for RSV and human metapneumovirus.

For $15 per share up front, AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NASDAQ:AZN) will acquire Icosavax Inc. (NASDAQ:ICVX) about two and a half years after it priced its IPO at the same dollar amount. The biotech had drawn strong investor interest in the early aftermarket, but its shares later slumped, dipping below $3 in fall 2022 before rebounding to reach double digits recently...