Sarepta broadens pipeline via siRNA deal with Arrowhead, paying $825M up front

A deal with Arrowhead will add four clinical and three preclinical programs to Sarepta’s pipeline, strengthening the former company’s balance sheet as it prepares for its first commercial launch.

Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) is paying $500 million up front to Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR) and investing $325 million for an equity stake in the biotech, at a premium price. Both companies’ shares rose by double digits Tuesday: Sarepta’s were up about 14%, with its market cap reaching nearly $12.5 billion, while Arrowhead gained 12% to attain a market cap of about $2.6 billion...