AstraZeneca to Purchase Majority Stake in Acerta for $4B

AstraZeneca plans to purchase a majority stake in Acerta Pharmaceuticals for $4 billion to gain access to a next-generation blood cancer drug.

The deal will give the company a 55 percent stake in Acerta, which is developing the leukemia candidate acalabrutinib. The drugmaker hopes to file an application with the FDA in the latter half of 2016.

According to AstraZeneca, the deal involves an upfront payment of $2.5 billion and a second payment of $1.5 billion either when acalabrutinib wins FDA approval or by the end of 2018 — whichever comes first. The agreement also includes an option for AstraZeneca to purchase the remaining shares in Acerta for $3 billion if acalabrutinib meets certain goals.