AstraZeneca to buy 55 percent of Acerta for $4 billion, gain access to new blood cancer treatment

AstraZeneca Plc will buy 55 percent of Acerta Pharma for $4 billion to gain access to a potentially hit treatment for blood cancer.

Reuters reported that the giant drugmaker believes that the new blood cancer treatment called Acalabrutinib could sell for $5 billion or more every year. This will further boost the drugmaker's rebound to growth and it will complete its shift to oncology.

Its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said, "By doing a dilutive acquisition we don't make our lives easier in the short term but we are committed to our stated goals and we will manage through."

According to the International Business Times, AstraZeneca may opt to buy the rest of the 45 percent on a $3 billion deal. The drugmaker will pay an initial $2.5 billion, and an additional $1.5 billion when the Acalabrutinib gets US regulatory approval.

"We are excited to announce this strategic transaction with AstraZeneca, which is a testament to the value inherent in Acerta and Acalabrutinib," said Acerta CEO David Johnson. "AstraZeneca brings tremendous expertise and resources that will help us maximize the potential of Acalabrutinib... we believe we will further accelerate our global clinical development program and maximize the future commercial potential of Acalabrutinib."

Bloomberg News wrote that U.K.'s second-largest drugmaker will have a new medicine that can boost the confidence of its investors after rejecting a takeover bid from Pfizer Inc. during the previous year. The company is also currently facing stiff competition on its blockbuster drugs Nexium and Crestor. Acerta's Acalabrutinib is a rival of Imbruvica, a drug by AbbVie Inc. and Johnson and Johnson.

AstraZeneca shares went up 0.6 percent to 4,444 pence Thursday. The stock declined 2.5 percent in 2015. Meanwhile, it had an 11 percent increase in the Bloomberg Europe Pharmaceutical Index.

AstraZeneca went into various deals to bounce back to its growth. It announced Wednesday two transactions to enhance its operations in Japan and China. It acquired ZS Pharma last month for $2.7 billion to gain access to a drug that can treat the deadly blood disease called hyperkalemia.