Amgen adds AML candidate in deal for U.K.-based Dark Blue: Deals Report

The year’s first full week brought a burst of deal activity, with more likely to come going into next week’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

In the first substantial biotech M&A transaction of 2026, Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) said it would acquire Oxford, U.K.-based Dark Blue Therapeutics Ltd., gaining a preclinical small molecule targeting MLLT1 and MLLT3 to treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). The parties did not disclose the deal’s upfront payment; its total value could rise to $840 million based on milestones...