Novartis AG said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Tourmaline Bio Inc. in a $1.4 billion all-cash deal, a bold step to expand its cardiovascular disease portfolio.
The Basel-based drugmaker, dual-listed on the Six Swiss Exchange and Nasdaq, will pay $48 per share, a 59% premium over Tourmaline’s last closing price of $30.18. The boards of both companies have unanimously signed off on the agreement, which Novartis expects to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending regulatory approvals.
Betting on Pacibekitug
At the heart of the acquisition is pacibekitug, Tourmaline’s experimental anti-inflammatory therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction.
“Tourmaline has made significant progress in tackling inflammation, a driving force behind cardiovascular disease,” said Shreeram Aradhye, Novartis’ chief medical officer. “With no widely adopted anti-inflammatory therapies available, pacibekitug could be a breakthrough.”
The therapy has shown promising phase-two trial results in lowering systemic inflammation. With Novartis stepping in, the drug is poised to move into phase-three human trials, a decisive stage for testing safety and efficacy.
