Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

Pfizer Inc. / Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc.

2008 · Acquisition/Merger · $195M · Complete

WRONG BY 55 POINTS

Pfizer paid ~$195M for a PAH drug the FDA had already rejected twice, then watched it get pulled worldwide in 2010 over fatal liver toxicity — a near-total loss.

Full analysis, sources & comparables →

The coverage arc

Feb 20, 2008 Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Neutral

The $2.35-per-share buyout — a 117% premium — saves the struggling biotech from NASDAQ delisting after Thelin received three approvable letters from FDA, the…

Feb 20, 2008 Pfizer Inc. Bullish

Pfizer announced cash tender offer at $2.35/share (~$195M equity value) to acquire Encysive, citing near-term EU revenue from Thelin and complementarity with…

Dec 10, 2010 Wikipedia (Sitaxentan, sourced to FDA/Pfizer disclosures) Bearish

Pfizer voluntarily withdrew sitaxentan worldwide on December 10, 2010 citing fatal liver damage; the drug had failed three FDA approvable cycles and never…

Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.

All 7 sources with sentiment breakdown →

Pfizer acquired Encysive Pharmaceuticals via a cash tender offer at $2.35 per share (approximately $195 million equity value, a roughly 117-118% premium), gaining Thelin (sitaxentan), an oral pulmonary arterial hypertension drug already approved in the EU, Australia and Canada but still pending U.S. FDA approval after three approvable letters. Pfizer planned a required Phase III trial to pursue U.S. approval alongside its existing Revatio PAH franchise; Pfizer voluntarily withdrew sitaxentan worldwide in December 2010 after reports of fatal liver damage.

Did it work? Outcome assessment

Pfizer paid ~$195M for a PAH drug the FDA had already rejected twice, then watched it get pulled worldwide in 2010 over fatal liver toxicity — a near-total loss.

Strategic verdict
Failed to Achieve

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
Pfizer Inc. / Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc. (this deal)2008$195M9
Pfizer Inc. / BioNTech SE2020$748M100
Pfizer Inc. / FoldRx Pharmaceuticals201099
Pfizer Inc. / Medivation Inc.2016$14.0B86
Pfizer Inc. / Wyeth2009$68.0B86
Pfizer Inc. / Warner-Lambert Company2000$90.0B83
Pfizer Inc. / Arvinas, Inc.2021$2.4B77

Compare all 7 side-by-side →

See the full interactive analysis, sources & comparables →