The M&A team advised Centerview Partners, exclusive financial advisor to ArQule, in connection with Merck’s definitive agreement to acquire ArQule for $20 per share in cash for an approximate total equity value of $2.7 billion. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Merck, through a subsidiary, will initiate a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of ArQule. The closing of the tender offer will be subject to certain conditions, including the tender of shares representing at least a majority of the total number of ArQule’s outstanding shares, the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary conditions. Upon the successful completion of the tender offer, Merck’s acquisition subsidiary will be merged into ArQule, and any remaining shares of common stock of ArQule will be canceled and converted into the right to receive the same $20 per share price payable in the tender offer. The transaction is expected to close early in the first quarter of 2020.
ArQule is a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on kinase inhibitor discovery and development for the treatment of patients with cancer and other diseases. ArQule’s lead investigational candidate, ARQ 531, is a novel, oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor currently in a Phase 2 dose expansion study for the treatment of B-cell malignancies.
Centerview Partners is a leading independent investment banking and advisory firm. The firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, valuation, and capital structure to companies, institutions and governments. Since the founding of Centerview in 2006, the firm has advised on nearly $3 trillion of transactions.
The Goodwin team was led by partners Stuart Cable, James Matarese and Blake Liggio.
For additional details on the acquisition, please read the press release.