Top biotech deals in June 2026

Top biotech deals in June 2026 By Roohi Mariam Peter Add Labiotech as your Google Preferred Source 11 minutesmins July 10, 2026 -Updated: onJuly 13, 2026 11 minutesmins Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email Photo credits: Lucrezia Carnelos (Unsplash) Add Labiotech as your Google Preferred Source Newsletter Signup - Under Article / In Page"*" indicates required fieldsCommentsThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest biotech news!By clicking this I agree to receive Labiotech's newsletter and understand that my personal data will be processed according to the Privacy Policy.*Company name*Job title*Business email* June was a busy month for the biopharma industry. AbbVie’s $10.9 billion takeover of Apogee was the most expensive acquisition of last month. Drug development in oncology and neurology was popular among dealmakers and mRNA therapies and small molecules were licensed in June 2026. Table of contentsTop biotech M&As of June 2026 The biggest acquisition deal announced in June was by pharma giant AbbVie. Known for its monoclonal antibodies Humira and Skyrizi, for autoimmune diseases, AbbVie plans to buy Massachusetts-based Apogee Therapeutics, acquiring the latter’s antibodies. The $10.9 billion buyout will hand over Apogee’s zumilokibart for atopic dermatitis, asthma, and eosinophilic esophagitis to AbbVie. This marks the U.S. pharma’s first acquisition of the year. Moreover, in a bid to boost its cancer drug pipeline, GSK has purchased Massachusetts-based Nuvalent for $10.6 billion. Its lead candidate zidesamtinib is in the clinic for non-small cell lung cancer as well as other solid tumors. GSK is already developing a lung cancer drug along with Hansoh Pharma, the antibody-drug conjugate risvutatug rezetecan. The British giant has cast a wide net across various technological fields this year, with its licensing deals with Siran Bio over antisense oligonucleotides, Frontier Biotechnologies over its small interfering RNA, its 35Pharma buyout over the latter’s fusion proteins, and the acquisition of monoclonal antibody developer RAPT Therapeutics. French company Servier is buying Colorado-based Edgewise Therapeutics. Edgewise has been developing its myosin inhibitor sevasemten for muscular dystrophies. It also has a cardiovascular pipeline with EDG-7500, a sarcomere modulator, in the lead. This purchase is following Servier’s $2.5 billion acquisition of California-based Day One Biopharmaceuticals back in March. Meanwhile, Delaware-headquartered Incyte is slated to buy California-based Star Therapeutics for $1.25 billion to expand its bleeding disorders portfolio. Star’s lead candidate VGA039 is a monoclonal antibody for von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder, that affects around 1% of the population, in phase 3 trials, and has received fast track, orphan drug, rare pediatric disease and breakthrough therapy designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The therapy could take on Takeda’s Vonvendi, approved for treatment of von Willebrand disease. Vega will gain up to $750 million in sales milestones as part of the deal. Ipsen is procuring California-based Kartos Therapeutics for up to $1.75 billion. It will gain control of the American startup’s navtemadlin, an MDM2 inhibitor, for myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer, currently in phase 3 trials. Topline results are expected next year. Kartos will snap up $450 million upfront. Ipsen’s second acquisition last month was the €200 million ($228 million) buyout of Zurich-based Memo Therapeutics. The Swiss company employs its Dropzylla technology to create antibodies. Its lead asset is a monoclonal antibody for BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy, a serious viral infection that affects those who have received kidney transplants. It also has oncology candidates, with the primary focus being lung, ovarian, and colorectal cancer. Memo will garner up to €700 million ($798 million) in milestone payments. Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson will take over Firefly Bio to expand its oncology pipeline with the latter’s degrader antibody conjugate platform to develop drugs that target KRAS-driven cancers. Unlike antibody-drug conjugates, degrader antibody conjugates carry targeted protein degraders instead of chemotherapies. This is Johnson & Johnson’s first acquisition of 2026. Biogen is scooping up California-based RayThera for up to $1 billion, as the latter’s lead candidate for immune-mediated conditions is poised to hit the clinic soon. This comes after Biogen bought Apellis Pharmaceuticals for around $5.6 billion to boost its portfolio of kidney disease treatments. Meanwhile, antibody developer Zymeworks is moving beyond oncology with its acquisition of Irish American company Theravance Biopharma. The latter has developed revefenacin, a muscarinic antagonist, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties. The company is being bought for $929 million. British biotech Thalia Therapeutics is scooping up Sanmirna Therapeutics, which is developing a microRNA inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia that is currently in phase 1 studies. Samirna will rake in £3.675 million ($4.93 million) upfront and up to £13 million ($17.45 million) in milestone payments. The acquisition comes as the London-based RNA maker raises £2.75 million ($3.69 million) in funding. Finally, Lilly is purchasing Texas-based neuroscience company 4E Therapeutics, whose lead candidate is an MNK inhibitor for chronic pain in the investigational new drug (IND)-enabling stage. This is part of Lilly’s strategy to develop non-opioid therapies that address underlying neurological mechanisms that cause pain. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Biotech deals by approach in June 2026 mRNA therapies draw attention Japanese company Nippon Shinyaku and Maryland-based Elixirgen Therapeutics are collaborating to develop and commercialize the latter’s mRNA therapy EXG-7001 to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed. Also partnering over RNA therapies were Massachusetts-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and California-based Inceptive Nucleics. The two will use artificial intelligence (AI) to help discover small interfering RNAs with the help of Alnylam’s RNA interference technology and Inceptive’s foundation models and AI expertise. The deal will see Inceptive rack up up to $2 billion, which includes $30 million upfront. Lilly has tapped Massachusetts-based Ascidian Therapeutics to discover and create RNA exon editors. The latter’s editors are capable of editing several whole exons, parts of the genome that end up within an mRNA molecule. These editors will be designed to address kidney diseases, although the targets were not disclosed. Ascidian can get up to $1.9 billion based on the terms of the agreement. Antibodies and AI streak continue Pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim forged two deals last month. One was with New York-based Immunai to discover T-cell targets across immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases. They will begin by building a data foundation spanning cancer and autoimmune disease and will apply Immunai’s AI platform to thousands of patient samples to identify T-cell dysfunction patterns. The deal valued at $15 million, can extend beyond 2027 based on how the collaboration progresses. The German giant’s second deal was with Copenhagen-based Combotope Therapeutics in efforts to advance antibodies for cancer. Combotope’s SMART-Phage discovery platform to identify cancer targets. The platform will help discover antibodies that bind tumor-specific glycan structures together with their protein carriers – these markers are present on cancer cells. The terms of the deal were not revealed. Chinese company TrueLab Biopharmaceutical is joining forces with French company Bionyra Pharma to develop two monoclonal and bispecific antibodies for inflammatory diseases. The candidates in question are TL-001, an anti-TL1A monoclonal antibody, and TL-003, a TL1A- and IL-23p19-targeted bispecific antibody. TrueLab can secure up to $985 million. The agreement also includes tiered royalties on future net sales. Plus, the company has been granted an equity stake in Paris-based Bionyra once it has bagged series A funding. Suggested Articles The biggest biotech funding rounds in May 2025 Top biotech deals in May 2026 Top biotech deals in April 2026 The biggest biotech funding rounds in April 2026 Further, Irish company Jazz Pharmaceuticals has called on AbCellera, a Vancouver-based antibody developer, to discover and develop multispecific antibodies. AbCellera’s antibody discovery engine will be used to deliver candidates for multiple gastrointestinal cancers and other solid tumors. AbCellera has landed $56 million upfront and up to $792 million in milestone payments. The upfront fee is for the first two research programs and an additional $28 million will be awarded to the Canadian company when it begins the third program. Meanwhile, Insilico Medicine has inked a licensing pact with SK Biopharmaceuticals, a South Korean company focused on treating neurological conditions. Insilico will employ its Pharma.AI platform to discover, design, and develop candidates for undisclosed neuroimmune indications that target the central nervous system. Insilico will garner $18 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments and more than $2.5 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments. Biopharma dealmakers eye small molecules As is customary, small molecules were in demand last month. Swiss big pharma company Roche forged a licensing agreement with protein degrader developer Nurix Therapeutics to develop and commercialize the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader bexobrutideg for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Nurix bagged $700 million upfront and is eligible to receive up to $2.3 billion in milestone payments. Then there was the pact between California-based Travere Therapeutics and Shanghai-based Everest Medicines for the development of the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor civorebrutinib for rare kidney diseases. If approved by regulators, Travere will be able to market the drug outside China and certain countries in East and Southeast Asia. Everest is set to nab $112.5 million upfront and is eligible to receive up to $1.03 billion in milestone payments. Meanwhile, London-based CNX Therapeutics is teaming up with Missouri-based Legacy Pharma to commercialize Ethyol for cancer in the U.S. this month. Ethyol, whose generic name is amifostine, is indicated for kidney toxicity caused by repeated chemotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer as well as to reduce severe dry mouth in patients who have undergone radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. This represents the British pharmaceutical’s first commercial partnership in the U.S. The financial conditions of the deal were not announced. Lilly on licensing spree again The past month, Lilly was occupied with signing deals with biotechs across therapeutic areas. It allied with the South Korean company Hanmi Pharmaceutical to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the LAPSGLP-2 analog sonefpeglutide. The candidate is in phase 2 studies to treat short bowel syndrome, a condition where the body is unable to absorb adequate nutrients from food as a result of a damaged or missing small intestine. If approved, sonefpeglutide could challenge Takeda’s Gattex’s market position for the indication. The deal with Hanmi is worth up to $1.2 billion. Another one of its deals was with the Swedish company BioArctic. The up to $1 billion pact is aimed at developing an undisclosed candidate that targets neurodegeneration. The candidate is born out of BioArctic’s BrainTransporter technology, which is designed to cross the blood-brain-barrier. BioArctic will receive $30 million upfront as well as rake in up to $770 million in milestone payments. The American giant is also banding together with Haisco Pharmaceutical to develop five therapeutic programs. It has tasked the Tibet-based company with discovering up to five targets, after which Lilly will take over IND-enabling studies, clinical development, and the potential commercialization of the candidates. The rights to the programs are worldwide, but for some, they are excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The Chinese company will gain up to $87 million in upfront and near-term payments, and it is eligible to make up to $2.967 billion in milestone payments. Finally, Lilly has embarked on a partnership with Swedish small molecules developer AlzeCure Pharma for the latter’s Alzheimer’s preclinical drug Alzstatin ACD680, which is a gamma-secretase modulator that is designed to lower the production of amyloid-beta proteins – a hallmark of the disease. Lilly already has its own Alzheimer’s drug on the market, Kinsula, a monoclonal antibody approved by the FDA two years ago. As part of the ongoing deal, AlzeCure will earn more than $1 billion in milestone payments including a $10 million upfront amount. This article is reserved for subscribers Subscribe for free to continue reading.Enter your details to log in or subscribe. Email Company name Job title Continue Readingor Continue with Microsoft Continue with LinkedIn By continuing, I agree to receive Labiotech's newsletter and understand that my personal data will be processed according to the Privacy Policy. Neurological diseases R&D trends and breakthrough innovations Find out which indications have the fullest pipelines, where white space exists, and which early-stage innovations are drawing the most pharma attention. Download the report Explore other topics: CancerMergers & acquisitionsNeurological disordersPartnershipsSmall molecules ADVERTISEMENT