The transaction has been unanimously approved by both boards and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026. Vertex plans to fund the purchase with cash and $4.5 billion of bridge financing committed by Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.
The acquisition brings Vertex two key assets. Palsonify (paltusotine) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2025. It is the first once-daily oral therapy for acromegaly, a rare disorder caused by excess growth hormone.
The other asset is atumelnant – an oral ACTH receptor antagonist for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a rare genetic condition affecting the adrenal glands. Phase II (NCT07159841) data showed patients could bring androgen levels close to normal while on physiologic doses of glucocorticoids, a combination that existing therapies have struggled to achieve.
“Vertex’s global infrastructure and commercial footprint will serve to amplify the reach of our science and allow us to maximize the impact of Palsonify, atumelnant and our pipeline,” Scott Struthers, founder and CEO of Crinetics, said.
Vertex estimates Palsonify and atumelnant together carry peak sales potential of more than $5 billion.
“This revenue profile furthers Vertex’s goal of sustained double-digit revenue growth and is expected to be margin accretive over time,” Chris Wagner, chief financial officer at Vertex, said on an M&A call earlier today. “Together, these assets add more than $5 billion in combined peak sales potential, and they do so in a disease area, specialty endocrinology, where Crinetics has built deep, durable expertise and exactly fits our commercialization framework.”
Vertex CEO Reshma Kewalramani echoed this optimism.
“Crinetics is an excellent strategic fit for Vertex, with its focus on serious diseases in specialty markets with significant unmet need, well-understood causal human biology, and potentially best-in-class medicines that could deliver transformative benefit to patients,” she said. “We believe Vertex can build on the strong momentum of the PALSONIFY launch by applying our experience in commercializing medicines for rare genetic diseases. We are also excited by the significant potential of atumelnant to transform the treatment landscape for CAH, setting a new standard of care where patients do not have to choose between managing their excess adrenal androgens and enduring the side effects of high-dose steroids.”
The deal adds endocrine disease as a new pillar alongside Vertex’s existing focus areas of cystic fibrosis, hematology, pain and renal disease. Cystic fibrosis therapies still accounted for the bulk of Vertex’s revenue last year.
“We look forward to working with the talented Crinetics team to rapidly advance their pipeline of medicines for patients living with serious, rare endocrine disorders. Together, these potential blockbuster assets build on our core cystic fibrosis business, ongoing launches and internal innovation portfolio, adding to our growth outlook and driving value for patients and shareholders,” Kewalramani concluded.
Source: https://www.bioxconomy.com/partnering/vertex-makes-largest-ever-acquisition-with-10bn-crinetics-deal