Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

Novartis AG / Avidity Biosciences, Inc.

2025 · Acquisition/Merger · $12.0B · Complete

Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.

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Top 25 largest deals of the 2020s

Ranks computed across 828 graded deals (Critic + Outcome Score both present).

The coverage arc

Oct 26, 2025 BioPharma Dive Bullish

Novartis agreed to acquire Avidity Biosciences for $12 billion, paying $72 per share in cash, a 46% premium. The deal adds three late-stage AOC programs for…

Oct 26, 2025 STAT News Bullish

Novartis to acquire RNA-focused Avidity Biosciences for $12B. Novartis is acquiring three late-stage RNA-based programs targeting neuromuscular…

Feb 27, 2026 www.novartis.com Neutral

Novartis successfully completes acquisition of Avidity Biosciences (Feb 27, 2026); $72.00/share cash, ~$12B; Avidity now an indirect wholly owned subsidiary.

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Novartis completed its acquisition of Avidity Biosciences on February 27, 2026, at $72.00 per share in cash (~$12.0B equity value on a fully diluted basis, ~$11B enterprise value; ~46% premium to the undisturbed price). The deal, announced October 26, 2025, makes Avidity an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Novartis and adds Avidity's muscle-directed Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugate (AOC) platform plus three late-stage neuromuscular programs: del-desiran (delpacibart etedesiran) for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (Phase 3 HARBOR), del-brax (delpacibart braxlosiran) for FSHD (registrational FORTITUDE cohort), and del-zota (delpacibart zotadirsen) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy amenable to exon 44 skipping (FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation; EXPLORE44 OLE). Per the merger terms, Avidity's early-stage precision cardiology programs were separated immediately before close into a new company, Atrium Therapeutics, Inc. (SpinCo), whose shares were distributed pro rata to Avidity stockholders on February 26, 2026. Novartis frames the deal as strengthening its late-stage neuroscience pipeline and advancing its xRNA strategy, targeting product launches before 2030.

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
Novartis AG / Avidity Biosciences, Inc. (this deal)2025$12.0B
Novartis AG / Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A.2017$3.9B98
Novartis AG / Endocyte, Inc.2018$2.1B96
Novartis AG / Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d.2002$876M88
Novartis AG / GlaxoSmithKline plc2014$16.0B81
Novartis AG / PTC Therapeutics Inc.2024$2.9B80
Novartis AG / Chinook Therapeutics Inc.2023$3.5B78

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