Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Eisai's $3.9B all-cash acquisition of MGI Pharma gave it Aloxi, Dacogen, Gliadel, and a US oncology sales force, but within a decade Eisai divested nearly every acquired asset—Gliadel to Arbor, Dacogen to Otsuka, Aloxi's marketing to Helsinn—leaving only the in-house-discovered Halaven as the lasting franchise win.
Eisai built a US oncology commercial base on MGI's back, then sold off nearly every MGI-acquired asset within a decade.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Eisai to acquire MGI Pharma at $41/share all-cash (~$3.9B), a 38.7% premium to MGI's $29.55 close on Nov 28, 2007; expected accretive to cash EPS in FY2008 and…
Bear Stearns analyst Vinay Thapar doubted other bidders would emerge to compete for MGI Pharma, since Eisai was paying cash and the premium it was offering was…
Eisai today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of MGI PHARMA for approximately $3.9 billion, integrating it as a wholly-owned subsidiary to…
Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.
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$41/share all-cash, ~$3.9B total. Oncology and acute care. Source: Eisai press release, SEC, Fierce Biotech.
Eisai built a US oncology commercial base on MGI's back, then sold off nearly every MGI-acquired asset within a decade.
Assessment window: 15yr post-close.
CINV is a near-universal complication of moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimens that, untreated, drives dose reductions, delays and treatment discontinuation. By the mid-2000s, second-generation 5-HT3 antagonists and NK1 antagonists had become the standard of care for prevention.
MGI Pharma's flagship Aloxi (palonosetron), the only second-generation 5-HT3 antagonist with a long half-life and high receptor affinity, dominated CINV by 2007 with an estimated $300M+ run rate. It competed against first-generation 5-HT3s (GlaxoSmithKline's Zofran/ondansetron — facing 2006 generic entry — Roche's Kytril/granisetron, and Sanofi's Anzemet/dolasetron) and was increasingly used with Merck's Emend (aprepitant), the first NK1 antagonist (approved 2003). Aloxi's key differentiation was a single 0.25 mg IV dose covering acute and delayed CINV phases. For Eisai, the deal added a US oncology supportive-care anchor adjacent to its chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and CNS portfolio. The $41/share, $3.9B all-cash offer represented a 38.7% premium to MGI's Nov 28, 2007 close of $29.55. Source: https://www.eisai.com/news/news200749.html
MDS is a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral cytopenias, and variable risk of progression to AML. It primarily affects older adults and historically had limited disease-modifying options outside of allogeneic transplant.
Dacogen (decitabine), MGI's hypomethylating agent (HMA) approved by the FDA in May 2006, competed directly with Celgene's Vidaza (azacitidine, approved May 2004) — the only other HMA available in the US. Dacogen at deal time was used primarily in higher-risk MDS, while Lenalidomide (Celgene's Revlimid) addressed lower-risk del(5q) MDS. The HMA class was a fast-growing oncology niche, and acquiring Dacogen alongside Aloxi gave Eisai an oncology core. MGI co-promoted Dacogen with SuperGen, complicating margin economics. Sources: https://www.eisai.com/news/news200749.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisai_(company)
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eisai Co., Ltd. / MGI Pharma Inc. (this deal) | 2007 | $3.9B | 36 |
| Eisai Co., Ltd. / Ligand Pharmaceuticals (oncology product portfolio) | 2006 | $205M | 41 |
| Eisai Co., Ltd. / Henlius | 2026 | — | — |
| Eisai Co., Ltd. / SEED Therapeutics Inc. | 2024 | $1.5B | — |
| Sanofi SA / Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2007 | $1.0B | 97 |
| Shire plc / New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2007 | $2.6B | 88 |
| Roche Holding AG / Ventana Medical Systems Inc. | 2007 | $3.4B | 88 |
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