Good day here from STAT’s London outpost, with Andrew Joseph filling in for Mr. Pharmalot. Maybe the less said about the U.S. World Cup match the better, though watching it with the time difference has put us in need of an extra cup or two of stimulation today. Also highly stimulating: Our colleague Bob Herman is out with the opening stories in a new series examining how the cost of health care plans is crushing workers and businesses. Do take some time with Bob’s excellent work.
One more plug: I’ll be anchoring STAT’s pop-up newsletter from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference here in London starting Sunday. You can sign up here. Finally, to the headlines we go. …
Vertex Pharmaceuticals will spend $10 billion to acquire Crinetics Pharmaceuticals and its drug for a rare endocrine disorder, STAT reports. Vertex will pick up the Crinetics drug Palsonify, which was launched last year and treats a rare endocrine disorder called acromegaly, as well as other drug candidates that have blockbuster potential if approved. The company is also in the late stages of developing a therapy for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The deal is the largest acquisition in the history of Vertex, as the Boston-based drugmaker has been on a mission to build out the next generation of products beyond its cystic fibrosis portfolio.
