Biogen to acquire a minority stake in Sage Therapeutics for $650m.

Biogen, a biotechnology company, agreed to acquire a minority stake in Sage Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company. The strategic collaboration is global in scope and under the terms of the agreement, Sage will receive $1.525 billion in cash to be comprised of an upfront payment of $875 million and a $650 million equity investment in Sage from the purchase of approximately 6.2 million newly issued shares of Sage common stock at a price of $104.14 per share, representing a premium of 40 percent over the 30-day volume-weighted average share price of $74.39 per share as of November 25, 2020. Should the zuranolone and SAGE-324 programs achieve certain development and commercial milestones, Sage will be eligible to receive up to approximately $1.6 billion in potential milestone payments. “We are excited about the potential to bring together Biogen’s leading capabilities in neuroscience with Sage’s deep expertise in psychiatry. There is a tremendous unmet medical need in depression, and we are optimistic about the potential for zuranolone to help transform the treatment of depression and address the stigma often associated with chronic use of antidepressants,” Michel Vounatsos, Biogen Chief Executive Officer.