Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Blockbuster ramp, then a patent-cliff crash: Lovaza paid back well for ~6 years before generics gutted it and GSK exited entirely by 2021
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Reliant 9-month sales of $341M (+62% YoY); Lovaza grew 115% YoY to $206M; GSK expected slight 2008 EPS accretion ex-integration.
Generic omega-3-acid ethyl esters became available in April 2014; FDA noted dose-dependent atrial fibrillation risk at 4g/day, eroding the post-2014 franchise.
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GlaxoSmithKline acquired Reliant Pharmaceuticals for $1.65B in cash, gaining Lovaza (omega-3-acid ethyl esters), a fast-growing prescription hypertriglyceridemia therapy that represented ~60% of Reliant's revenue. The deal added a US cardiovascular growth driver complementary to Coreg CR; generic entry from 2014 and FDA atrial-fibrillation warnings later eroded the franchise.
Blockbuster ramp, then a patent-cliff crash: Lovaza paid back well for ~6 years before generics gutted it and GSK exited entirely by 2021
Assessment window: 15yr post-close.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Reliant Pharmaceuticals Inc. (this deal) | 2007 | $1.6B | 47 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Theravance, Inc. | 2012 | $213M | 82 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Tesaro Inc. | 2018 | $5.1B | 79 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Pfizer Inc. (Consumer Healthcare Division) | 2018 | $12.7B | 76 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Novartis Consumer Healthcare JV | 2018 | $13.0B | 74 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / ID Biomedical Corporation | 2005 | $1.4B | 64 |
| GlaxoSmithKline plc / Vir Biotechnology Inc. | 2020 | $595M | 51 |
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