Argenx to Buy Forte Biosciences for $2.2B
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- Argenx will acquire Forte Biosciences for $2.2 billion in cash, valuing the Dallas-based biotech at $77 per share — a 41% premium over its Friday closing price.
- Argenx said the deal aims to expand its immunology pipeline, continuing a sector-wide acquisition run in which even midsize biotechs are hunting for bolt-on targets.
- Argenx, which operates primarily from Belgium, has become a standout immunology success story, with its drug Vyvgart approved to treat generalized myasthenia gravis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
- Vyvgart sales have risen steadily as its label has been broadened to cover additional patient populations, per the source.
- The all-cash structure signals a straightforward, premium-priced pickup rather than a stock-swap or contingent-value arrangement.
Why it matters: Argenx is paying a 41% premium ($77/share vs. Friday's close) for a private-pipeline target, using $2.2B in cash to bolt on immunology assets while Vyvgart's label-expanding sales momentum provides the financial firepower — a template midsize biotechs are now following to stay competitive in autoimmune drug development.
