AstraZeneca to spend $39 billion to buy rare disease drug developer

British company AstraZeneca, which is developing an inexpensive and mass-produced "Oxford" coronavirus vaccine, has announced the purchase of the American Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Bloomberg reported . The deal is valued at $39 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, Alexion shareholders will receive $60 per share and 2.1243 ADS of AstraZeneca itself. The list price per share is $175, which means a 45% premium: Alexion shares closed at $121 on Friday. The deal is due to close in the third quarter of 2021.

The deal is part of AstraZeneca's ambitious diversification plans, known for cancer drugs and vaccines. With Alexion, which has amassed five major pharmaceutical companies through acquisitions over the past decade, AstraZeneca is gaining production on several key rare disease drugs, as well as strong research competencies in immunology and autoimmune diseases.

Paying in shares will allow the British company to take advantage of the growth in its quotes on the successful development of a vaccine: the market has long been rumored that the head of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, is looking for a worthy target for a takeover, writes FT. Alexion shares are owned mainly by funds, after the transaction they will control about 15% of the combined company.

This week it became known that AstraZeneca will begin testing its vaccine in conjunction with Russia's Sputnik-V.