Closed & Collaborative H1 2025: Mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships in life sciences

The first half of 2025 has been marked by a surge in strategic activity across the global healthcare, life sciences, and biotechnology sectors. The period saw a remarkable convergence of innovation, investment, and international collaboration, with companies doubling down on digital transformation, precision medicine, and global expansion. 

From AI-powered diagnostics and next-generation antibody therapies to strategic mergers and acquisitions, the industry demonstrated a clear commitment to accelerating access, improving outcomes, and reshaping the future of care. And you can find an overview here below, in a revivified Closed & Collaborative round-up.

Dominant themes and monthly highlights

Several dominant themes emerged in H1:

• Precision and personalisation: A strong focus on targeted therapies, especially in oncology, neurology, and autoimmune diseases.
• Digital health and AI: Rapid adoption of AI-driven platforms for diagnostics, remote monitoring, and regulatory workflows.
• Global expansion: Strategic moves into emerging markets, particularly the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
• Supply chain resilience: New partnerships to address shortages and ensure continuity in clinical trial supply.
• Sustainability and access: Renewed commitments to equitable healthcare access, especially in rare diseases and underserved regions.

January

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Mehiläinen acquires InMedica Group. Finland’s largest healthcare provider, Mehiläinen, acquired Lithuania’s InMedica Group, expanding its footprint in the Baltics. InMedica operates 89 facilities and serves over 310,000 patients annually.
• hVIVO acquires Cryostore. hVIVO, a leader in human challenge trials, acquired Cryostore for up to £3.2 million. Cryostore provides high-standard, temperature-controlled storage for biological samples, enhancing hVIVO’s biobank and lab services.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Alchemab Therapeutics & Lilly. Alchemab entered a strategic collaboration with Eli Lilly to discover and develop up to five novel therapeutic antibodies for ALS. The partnership leverages Alchemab’s platform, which identifies antibodies from individuals with unusually slow disease progression. This patient-guided approach aims to uncover resilience-associated antibodies with therapeutic potential.
• Santhera & Clinigen Group. Santhera signed a distribution agreement with Clinigen to supply AGAMREE (vamorolone) in countries where it is not yet commercially available. The agreement supports access for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in underserved regions.
• Phlo & Morrisons. The launch of the “Morrisons Clinic” marks a significant step in digital pharmacy. Through this partnership, customers in England can access treatments for conditions like acne, migraines, and contraception via online consultations, bypassing the need for GP appointments.

February

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Ardena acquires Catalent’s NJ facility. Ardena expanded into North America by acquiring Catalent’s Somerset, NJ facility. The site specialises in oral drug product manufacturing and will also house a new bioanalytical lab, supporting Ardena’s global CDMO services.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Antibodies.com & Cactus Communications. This partnership provides over 30,000 scientists with access to CACTUS’ editorial and publishing services, including manuscript editing and statistical review, to improve research dissemination.
• Brainomix & Medtronic. Aimed at improving stroke care across Western Europe, this partnership integrates Brainomix’s AI imaging platform with Medtronic’s neurovascular devices to enhance diagnosis and treatment decisions.

March

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Paratek Pharmaceuticals acquires Optinose. In a $330 million deal, Paratek acquired Optinose, adding XHANCE – a nasal spray for chronic rhinosinusitis – to its portfolio. The acquisition supports Paratek’s expansion into primary care.
• Cormica acquires Focus Laboratories. Cormica expanded its US presence by acquiring Focus Laboratories, a microbiological testing firm. The acquisition strengthens Cormica’s capabilities in rapid microbiology and consulting.
• FairJourney Biologics acquires Charles River’s South San Francisco site. This acquisition includes proprietary antibody discovery libraries (SuperHuman, Cosmic, Tungsten) and yeast display technology, enhancing FairJourney’s global antibody discovery platform.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Careology & Entia. The integration of Entia’s at-home blood monitoring with Careology’s digital cancer care platform enables remote monitoring of cancer patients, reducing hospital visits and improving outcomes.
• myTomorrows & Patients Know Best. This partnership allows UK patients to share their health records with myTomorrows to identify clinical trials and expanded access programmes, streamlining access to pre-approval treatments.

April

Margers & Acquisitions

• Taiho Pharmaceutical acquires Araris Biotech. In a deal worth up to $1.14 billion, Taiho acquired Araris Biotech, gaining access to its next-generation ADC linker platform, AraLinQ, and a pipeline of preclinical ADC candidates.
• Source BioScience acquires Cambridge Clinical Laboratories. This acquisition enhances Source BioScience’s diagnostics portfolio, adding personalised healthcare testing services and expanding its clinical trial support capabilities.
• Roquette acquires IFF Pharma Solutions. Roquette strengthened its position in pharmaceutical excipients with this acquisition, enhancing its drug delivery solutions and innovation pipeline.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Lifebit & Troper Wojcicki Philanthropies. Lifebit’s platform will power the Lung Cancer Genetics Study, enabling secure data analytics and collaboration among researchers to uncover genetic insights.
• ONCOVITA & UNITHER Pharmaceuticals. The partnership combines ONCOVITA’s Measovir vaccine platform with UNITHER’s Euroject delivery system to develop a new pediatric prophylactic vaccine.
• Fakeeh Care Group & Fosun Pharma. This strategic alliance aims to bring CAR-T therapies, gene therapies, and tele-diagnostics to Saudi Arabia, supporting Vision 2030 and healthcare innovation.

May

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Epsilogen acquires TigaTx. The merger creates a pan-isotype cancer antibody company, combining IgE and IgA platforms for enhanced immunotherapy.
• Liva Healthcare acquires Momenta. Liva expanded its reach in therapeutic lifestyle interventions by acquiring Momenta, a UK-based provider of NHS-licensed digital and in-person health programmes.
• Investindustrial acquires DCC Healthcare. In a £1.05 billion deal, Investindustrial acquired DCC Healthcare, gaining access to its CDMO and medical device divisions.
• Supreme Group acquires Nimble Works & Vital Works. This acquisition enhances Supreme Group’s creative and digital strategy capabilities in healthcare marketing.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• GSK & adesso. The DREAM platform, developed with adesso, sends personalised reminders for medication and vaccinations, now live in 23 countries.
• START & OneOncology. This partnership launches new early-phase oncology trial sites in the US, expanding access to innovative cancer therapies in community settings.
• CN Bio & Pharmaron. The collaboration validates CN Bio’s PhysioMimix Organ-on-a-Chip technology and explores new applications in ADME and toxicity testing.
• Huma & Eckuity Capital. Huma announced a strategic partnership with Eckuity Capital to support M&A and acquired Aluna, a respiratory health monitoring company.
• Accumulus Synergy & Veeva Systems. This partnership enhances regulatory data exchange by connecting Veeva’s RIM platform with Accumulus’ cloud-based submission system.

June

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Datavant acquires Aetion. The acquisition creates a comprehensive real-world evidence platform, combining data connectivity with validated analytics.

Collaborations & Partnerships

• Sobi & Sanofi’s Foundation S with WFH. Renewed a 5-year humanitarian aid agreement to donate up to 100 million IU of factor therapy annually, supporting over 22,000 patients globally.
• Bionical Emas & Pharma Resources. This exclusive global supply agreement ensures access to oncology injectables like Fluorouracil, addressing critical shortages in Europe.
• Enhanced Genomics & ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute. Used 3D multi-omics to identify novel Alzheimer’s targets, demonstrating the power of chromatin interaction mapping in neurodegenerative research.
• SmartLabs & IWG. A 10-year partnership to deliver fully managed lab infrastructure globally, supporting life sciences R&D in emerging markets.
• Echosens & Boehringer Ingelheim. Expanded their collaboration to improve diagnosis and care for MASH using FibroScan and Boehringer’s therapeutic pipeline.

A sector in motion

The first half of 2025 has underscored the healthcare sector’s resilience, adaptability, and ambition. The volume and diversity of activity – from billion-dollar acquisitions to grassroots partnerships – reflect a shared urgency to address unmet medical needs, modernise infrastructure, and democratise access to care.

Notably, the period was defined by:

• Cross-sector collaboration: Pharma, biotech, tech, and public health organisations joined forces to tackle complex challenges.
• Global-local synergy: Companies balanced global ambitions with local relevance, especially in emerging markets.
• Platform thinking: Many firms focused on building scalable platforms – whether in diagnostics, therapeutics, or data – to future-proof their operations.

As we move into the second half of the year, the momentum from H1 sets a strong foundation for continued innovation, deeper integration of AI, and a more connected, patient-centric healthcare ecosystem.