AstraZeneca acquires Alexion (2021)
AstraZeneca agreed in December 2020 to buy Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $39 billion, its largest-ever deal. Alexion's rare disease drugs Soliris and Ultomiris treated complement disorders and generated billions in sales.
The acquisition closed in July 2021 and became AstraZeneca's rare disease unit.
It cemented the model of building rare disease franchises through high-priced, low-competition drugs.
CSL's lixudebart deal follows the same franchise logic, using a partnership instead of an outright acquisition.
