Johnson and Johnson Acquiring Halda Therapeutics in $3 Billion Definitive Agreement

On the heels of FDA’s approval of Darzalex Faspro, Johnson and Johnson continues to make waves in the pharmaceutical sector, announcing its acquisition of Halda Therapeutics.

The company announced its $3 billion definitive agreement to acquire Halda in an effort to uphold the company’s longstanding commitment to prostate cancer and its oncology portfolio, while also adding new therapies with novel and complementary mechanisms of action.

“This acquisition further strengthens our deep oncology pipeline with an exciting lead asset in prostate cancer and a platform capable of treating multiple cancers and diseases beyond oncology, providing a potential mid- and long-term catalyst for growth,” said Jennifer Taubert, executive vice president, worldwide chairman, innovative medicine, Johnson & Johnson. “We look forward to combining Halda’s pipeline, platform and people with our world class research and development, commercial and manufacturing capabilities and advancing our goal of bringing these therapies to patients around the world.”

One of the driving factors of the acquisition is Halda’s lead candidate, HLD-0915, a clinical-stage therapy for prostate cancer.¹ Given the existing unmet need, this once-daily therapy has the potential to transform patient outcomes with its novel precision cancer cell-killing approach that can overcome mechanisms of resistance to treatment. Along with HLD-0915, the acquisition also includes several earlier candidates for breast, lung and multiple other tumor types.¹

Per the terms of the agreement, the transaction will be accounted for as a business combination and will be expected to close within the next few months.¹ Additionally, Johnson and Johnson expects dilution of $0.15 in 2026 to Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) due to short-term financing and a non-recurring charge related to the equity awards for Halda employees upon closing.¹

One of the main factors that lead Johnson and Johnson to acquire Halda is its proprietary Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimera (RIPTAC) platform that develops oral targeted therapies for multiple types of solid tumors, including prostate cancer.¹

“Many therapies lose effectiveness over time due to resistance. Halda’s innovative technology is designed to work even when cancers no longer respond to standard treatments using a novel mechanism that enables the selective killing of cancer cells,” said John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, innovative medicine, R&D, Johnson & Johnson. “Results seen with HLD-0915 demonstrate impressive preliminary efficacy and a strong early safety profile in prostate cancer. We are eager to accelerate the ongoing Phase I/II clinical trial of HLD-0915 and progress a pipeline of novel product candidates based on RIPTAC technology.”