Sanofi SA will acquire Vigil Neuroscience Inc for $8 per share in cash, a 246% premium to Vigil's closing price, valuing the deal at an enterprise value of $470 million. The acquisition is driven by Vigil's early-stage Alzheimer's drug, VG-3927, which Sanofi previously invested $40 million in for exclusive rights, and which is slated for Phase 2 clinical trials; Vigil shareholders may also receive an additional $2 per share upon the drug's first commercial sale. The move underscores Sanofi's commitment to Alzheimer's research amid a market with currently five FDA-approved therapies.
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi SA has announced an agreement to acquire U.S.-listed biotech firm Vigil Neuroscience Inc., primarily to gain full control over VG-3927, an early-stage Alzheimer's drug candidate. Sanofi will pay $8 in cash per Vigil share, a substantial 246% premium to Vigil's Wednesday closing price, resulting in an enterprise value of $470 million, significantly above Vigil's market capitalization of approximately $115 million. This deal builds on Sanofi's prior $40 million investment in Vigil in 2024, which secured exclusive rights to VG-3927. The drug, aimed at enhancing the neuroprotective function of microglia to help against Alzheimer’s, is set to be evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical study. Vigil shareholders also stand to receive an additional $2 per share contingent upon the first commercial sale of VG-3927. This acquisition underscores Sanofi's strategic commitment to the Alzheimer's market, a disease projected to affect at least 7.2 million Americans aged 65 and older by 2025, and currently addressed by five FDA-approved therapies from major pharmaceutical companies including Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AbbVie, and Eli Lilly.
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