Deals
Inside the $21 Billion War for a Blockbuster Cancer Drug
Abbvie Buys Cancer Drug Firm for $21B
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The bidding was close -- so close that even hours before it was announced, neither Johnson & Johnson nor AbbVie Inc. knew whether they’d won a contest for Pharmacyclics Inc. and its jewel, the cancer drug Imbruvica.
It turned out J&J had been outmaneuvered by AbbVie with a $21 billion offer. With three buyers circling, AbbVie Chief Executive Officer Rick Gonzalez found himself in a bidding war that went from start to finish in just three days. The third bidder hasn’t been identified.