Pfizer Acquires ReViral for $525M, Renews Pharma Acquisition Spree

Pfizer has announced or completed the acquisition of four pharmaceutical companies in the past year. The most recent of which incorporated ReViral Ltd, adding another antiviral drugmaker to Pfizer’s roster.

ReViral specializes in treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — an infectious disease primarily affecting babies and the elderly. The company’s drug sisunatovir is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials with a Fast Track FDA designation. It also owns a second RSV treatment in the early stages of development.

In a Phase 2 RSV study, sisunatovir successfully reduced viral load in healthy adults. ReViral completed the first part of the study in June 2021, when it studied the safety and efficacy of sisunatovir in infants hospitalized with RSV.

The conclusion of this latest acquisition comes at a time when RSV is ramping up in some areas of the United States. CDC officials warned of the rising risk of RSV one year ago, as cases in the Southern US increased rapidly, and children faced more severe manifestations of the illness. The rise was attributed to isolation during the winter months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which left children vulnerable to infection and without RSV immunity.

Severe cases involve difficulty breathing that can lead to hospitalization or death. RSV results in roughly 58,000 hospitalizations annually in children and 177,000 among adults 65 years and older.

Pfizer’s acquisition also coincided with competitors’ forays into the RSV market. GlaxoSmithKline is the closest to a breakthrough, entering Phase 3 trials with their RSV vaccine last February. But the field is packed with fellow pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna and J&J, engaged in clinical trials for RSV vaccines.

The recent acquisition was the smallest of four in the past year. Pfizer announced the completion of its Trillium Therapeutics acquisition in November of 2021. Trillium specialized in targeted therapies for cancer and had developed several immunotherapies before its sale. Five months later, Pfizer completed its acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals, a company with several clinical-stage products. And finally, one month ago, the pharmaceutical giant announced an agreement to acquire Biohaven’s inventory of specialized migraine treatments.

Pfizer expects to spend $21.05 billion in acquisition costs for its four recent ventures. The sum is around $4 billion less than the company’s annual revenue. Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a specialist in infectious diseases, and Array Biopharma, an oncology firm, were also acquired recently. Including the most recent acquisition, Pfizer’s moves have trended toward acquiring those companies with vaccinations in their clinical pipeline.