Celgene Completes Juno Acquisition

Celgene has completed its previously announced acquisition of Juno Therapeutics, the company announced in a March 6, 2018 press release. Celgene had announced in Jan. 22, 2018 that it would acquire the biopharmaceutical company for approximately $9 billion.

The Juno acquisition strengthens Celgene’s position in the cellular immunotherapy space by adding new technology and advanced cellular manufacturing capabilities to its broad commercial portfolio and pipeline of therapies focused on hematology and oncology. Celgene also gains full global rights to JCAR017 (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel), a CD-19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy currently in trials for relapsed and/or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

"Our colleagues at Juno are developing some of the most promising approaches to treating cancer, and we are excited to add their pioneering work to Celgene's leading hematology and oncology research and commercial platform," said Mark J. Alles, chairman and CEO of Celgene, in a company press release. "Together, we expect to expand our opportunities to discover and develop new therapies that will improve and extend the lives of patients worldwide."

Celgene and Juno entered into an earlier strategic collaboration in June 2015, under which the companies would leverage T-cell therapeutic strategies to develop treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases with an initial focus on CAR T and T-cell receptor technologies. In April 2016, Celgene exercised an option to develop and commercialize the Juno CD19 program outside North America and China.

Source: Celgene