Biotech deal-O-rama, Gilead and Tallon’s U.K. vision — a BioCentury podcast

Merck, Gilead headline flurry of M&A and licensing deals

A flurry of deals, several with sizable upfront payments, has energized the biotech sector in March. On the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury’s Paul Bonanos assesses last week’s deals by Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK), which is laying out $6.7 billion to acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:TERN), and  Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), which is buying Ouro Medicines LLC for about $1.7 billion up front. The upfront payments for these deals, says Bonanos, plus two others during the week, add up to about $10 billion.

Gilead’s deal comes as the Foster City, Calif.-based biotech is looking to defend its position in HIV while resetting in inflammation and immunology and growing its oncology footprint through business development. BioCentury’s Lauren Martz analyzes the company’s pipeline following her recent conversation with CMO Dietmar Berger.

Turning to the U.K., Editor in Chief Simone Fishburn details her conversation with CEO of MHRA, Lawrence Tallon, regarding what new reforms in the U.K. mean for drug developers and how he views initiatives helping to build the sector and place the U.K. in the race to become a destination for clinical trials.

Rates for the 26th Bio€quity Europe May 4-6 in Prague increase after this week. Register now as a delegate or apply to join the 2026 Presenting Company Class before the conference sells out.