ARTICLE | Deals
AZ deepens radiopharma commitment via $2B Fusion takeout
Deal brings more momentum for α-emitters, with Fusion’s lead program contrasting Novartis’ β-emitting Pluvicto
March 19, 2024 9:50 PM UTC
AstraZeneca’s $2 billion acquisition of Fusion represents the third pharma takeout in the past five months for a company developing α-emitting cancer therapies, indicating the radioisotope class could soon overtake its more established β-emitting predecessors.
The deal gives AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NASDAQ:AZN) a lead radioligand program that delivers actinium-225 and targets PSMA to treat prostate cancer. Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:FUSN) acquired the molecule, FPI-2265, from RadioMedix Inc. in February 2023, soon after that company began a Phase II study that is still ongoing...