By Dean Seal

 

Amgen Inc. said Monday that it will acquire drug company Horizon Therapeutics PLC in an all-cash deal valued at $27.8 billion, confirming an earlier report by the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. biotechnology company has agreed to pay $116.50 apiece for Horizon's shares, marking a 19.7% premium to its closing price from Friday and a 47.9% premium to its closing price on Nov. 29, when takeover news first surfaced.

The deal will be financed with a $28.5 million bridge loan, for which Citibank NA and Bank of America Corp. are acting as lead arrangers and book runners, Amgen said.

Amgen expects the deal to get approved in the first half of 2023.

Talks of a potential Horizon takeover, which will be the largest healthcare merger of the year, lifted the Dublin-based company's stock at the end of November, with Amgen, Sanofi SA and Johnson & Johnson cited as suitors.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday night that Sanofi was out of the running and that Amgen had advanced in negotiations.

Shares jumped 13.7% to $110.64 in premarket trading.

 

Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 12, 2022 06:56 ET (11:56 GMT)

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