Merck spends $11.5B for Acceleron, possible blockbuster drug
By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer
Merck will spend about $11.5 billion to buy Acceleron Pharma and its potential treatment for high blood pressure in vessels that connect the lungs and heart. The drugmaker said Thursday that it will pay $180 per share in cash for Acceleron in a deal expected to close in the fourth quarter. Â Acceleron is running late-stage studies of a potential treatment for patients with life-threatening pulmonary arterial hypertension. Merck executives told analysts Thursday that the drug has multi-billion dollar peak sales potential. They hope to launch it in 2024 or 2025.Â