Sard Verbinnen & Co. is handling media for Alexion's $8.4B bid announced today for Synageva BioPharma Corp., the Lexington, MA, maker of treatments for rare diseases.
The cash/stock deal is valued at twice the market cap of Synageva.
The Wall Street Journal notes the big premium is due to the "relatively higher prices" charged for rare disease treatments that go to smaller patient populations.
Synageva plans a global launch of Kanuma, which treats LAL Deficiency that causes a build-up of fatty material in the liver, spleen, gut and walls of blood vessels.
The company also produces enzymes to target Hunter syndrome, Farby disease and Pompe disease.
Alexion, which is based in Cheshire, Conn., produces a treatment for a deadly metabolic disorder. It said the Snyageva acquisition will expand manufacturing capability and generate cost savings of at least $150M in 2017.
David Hallal has helmed Alexion since April when he replaced company founder Leonard Bell.
Sard Verbinnen's Andrew Cole and Devin Broda Alexion work the Alexion account.
Edelman handles Viking Holdings, the river and ocean luxury cruise line that plans to raise $1B via an IPO priced in the $21 to $25 per share range.
Teneo is handling the initial public offering of CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity firms with nearly $200B in assets under management.
Brunswick Group represents Endeavor Group Holdings as it agrees to go private via its acquisition by Silver Lake technology investment firm, which is handled by Edelman Smithfield.
Tod Donhauser, a nine-year veteran of Edelman, has joined H/Advisors Abernathy as managing director and head of its San Francisco office.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.