UCB, which researches and manufactures biopharmaceutical products, completed the acquisition of Ra Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging a proprietary peptide chemistry platform to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of serious diseases, for $2.1bn. "In the last 15 months, we made several significant steps on UCB's strategic growth path, namely the "Accelerate and Expand" phase. This acquisition is a key part of this progress and an excellent strategic fit with UCB's strategy. Ra Pharma builds upon our collective strengths and talents and adds to our strong internal growth opportunities. Zilucoplan gives us the opportunity to become a leader in treating people living with myasthenia gravis, an auto-antibody mediated neurological orphan disease with high unmet medical need. The acquisition also strengthens our neurology and immunology franchises with late and early-stage pipeline projects and adds a highly productive technology platform to our innovation engine," Jean-Christophe Tellier, UCB CEO.