<![CDATA[GENMAB - AbbVie køber Pharmacyclics]]>

"Drugmaker AbbVie Inc (ABBV.N) said it will buy Pharmacyclics Inc (PCYC.O), the maker of blockbuster cancer drug Imbruvica, for about $21 billion to broaden its oncology drugs pipeline.
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The deal gives AbbVie access to Pharmacyclics' cancer drugs portfolio, lessening the Chicago-based company's dependence on its rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira that accounts for most of its sales".

AbbVie boosts cancer drug pipeline with $21 billion Pharmacyclics deal

The deal -- the latest example of a big drugmaker swooping on a biotech firm to refill its medicine pipeline -- confounds expectations that Pharmacyclics would sell out to Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N). AbbVie will pay $261.25 per share in cash and stock, a 13 percent premium to Pharmacyclics stock's closing price on Wednesday. AbbVie failed last October to buy Dublin-based Shire Plc (SHP.L) for $55 billion after the United States took steps to deter such tax-lowering deals. Deutsche Bank analyst Robyn Karnauskas said the deal was positive for AbbVie as Pharmacyclics' blood cancer treatment Imbruvica would diversify the business beyond Humira.

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