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J&J Moves to Expand Oncology Portfolio With $3.05 Billion Halda Therapeutics Deal

By  |  November 18, 2025

Johnson & Johnson has struck a $3.05 billion cash agreement to acquire Halda Therapeutics, a biotech developing next-generation cancer therapies, according to Bloomberg. The move underscores the drugmaker’s push to counter declining revenue from aging blockbuster medicines and strengthen its pipeline in oncology.

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    Halda is advancing a first-in-class oral therapy for prostate cancer and is also working on experimental treatments targeting breast, lung and several additional tumor types, per Bloomberg’s reporting. J&J highlighted these programs in a statement announcing the deal on Monday.

    Shares of Johnson & Johnson were largely flat at the start of regular trading in New York. The stock had climbed roughly 35% this year through the previous Friday, according to Bloomberg. The acquisition reflects a broader trend across the pharmaceutical sector as major companies seek new growth drivers now that established drugs are facing competition from lower-cost alternatives. Pfizer recently outbid Novo Nordisk in a high-profile race to buy obesity-focused biotech Metsera, while Merck agreed last week to purchase flu-drug developer Cidara Therapeutics for as much as $9.2 billion.

    J&J is confronting similar pressures. Key patents on Stelara, its top-selling psoriasis therapy, expired recently, allowing biosimilar rivals to chip away at sales. The company expects newer treatments for multiple myeloma and psoriasis to help buffer the impact, but it is also relying on strategic acquisitions to supplement internal research.

    Related: Johnson & Johnson MedTech Faces Five-Year Injunction Over Antitrust Violations

    Earlier this year, the drugmaker purchased Intra-Cellular Therapies for about $14.6 billion, securing access to an approved therapy for major depressive disorder. In October, J&J also announced plans to separate its slower-growing orthopedics division within 18 to 24 months as part of a broader reorganization.

    Halda’s lead candidate, HLD-0915, is designed for prostate cancer — a therapeutic area where J&J already has deep experience. The company’s existing prostate cancer drug, Erleada, generated about $3 billion in sales last year. Halda says HLD-0915 can remain effective even when tumors develop resistance to treatment. The medicine uses what the biotech calls a “hold-and-kill” mechanism that brings two proteins together to selectively destroy cancer cells.

    Source: Bloomberg