A view of the logo of Novo Nordisk at the company’s office in Bagsvaerd, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, March 8, 2024.
Tom Little | Reuters
Novo Nordisk said on Thursday it agreed to buy Akero Therapeutics for up to $5.2 billion, giving the Danish drugmaker access to the U.S.-based company’s experimental liver disease drug.
Akero’s experimental drug, efruxifermin, is being studied in patients with severe scarring or cirrhosis due to a type of fatty liver disease known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Under the deal, Novo would pay Akero shareholders $54 per share in cash and an additional $6 per share upon full U.S. approval of efruxifermin for treatment of compensated cirrhosis due to MASH by June 30, 2031, the companies said.
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