Oct. 21 Quick Takes: Clear path for BMS in MyoKardia deal; plus Purdue settles, Actemra misses, Cara-Vifor, InCarda, Azitra, Zosano   

Scant competition ahead of BMS-MyoKardia deal
Although negotiations drove the takeout price for MyoKardia Inc. (NASDAQ:MYOK) up to $225 per share from an initial offer of $185 by Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY), outreach to at least one other company did not generate any formal competing bids, according to a regulatory filing. MyoKardia management “considered the limited number of companies with interest in cardiovascular indications generally” before accepting BMS’s offer. The parties announced their $13.1 billion deal on Oct. 5.

WuXi Biologics gains 12% on guidance, new strategy
R&D services company WuXi Biologics Inc. (HKEX:2269) raised its 2021 earnings growth guidance to 50% year-over-year, up from 40%, due to more COVID-19 projects than expected, according to an analyst note by Goldman Sachs’ Ziyi Chen. The bank held a conference call with WuXi Biologics executives, who also shared a new strategy — “win-the-molecule” — that seeks to grow market share by gaining projects from competitors. Since June 30, the company has added 34 projects to its pipeline vs. 38 in 1H20, Chen said...