Zymeworks Announces $929 Million Cash Acquisition of Theravance Biopharma at $17.00 Per Share Plus CVR on Ampreloxetine Future Monetization, Gaining the FDA-Approved Nebulized COPD Drug Yupelri to Anchor a Respiratory Franchise Against GSK, AstraZeneca, and Boehringer Ingelheim
Zymeworks (NASDAQ: ZYME) announced Monday June 29, 2026 a definitive agreement to acquire Theravance Biopharma (NASDAQ: TBPH) for $17.00 per share in cash, an equity value of approximately $929 million plus a contingent value right (CVR) entitling Theravance shareholders to 80% of net proceeds from any future license, divestiture, or monetization of ampreloxetine (the late-stage program that posted topline results from the Phase 3 CYPRESS study on March 3, 2026, prompting the buyout window). The $17.00 price represents a 22% premium to Theravance's March 3 closing price and a 10% premium to the volume-weighted average price since that date. Financing comes from a $350 million non-recourse note secured by the US YUPELRI profit share from OMERS Life Sciences, plus Theravance's expected $360 million net cash balance at closing. The strategic anchor is YUPELRI (revefenacin), a once-daily nebulized long-acting muscarinic antagonist for COPD that competes against GSK's Trelegy, AstraZeneca's Bevespi, and Boehringer Ingelheim's Spiriva Respimat. The transaction is expected to close in H2 2026 subject to Theravance shareholder approval and regulatory clearances. Industry context: the deal sits inside a late-June biotech consolidation wave that also produced AbbVie's $10.9B Apogee Therapeutics acquisition (June 22, anti-IL-13 zumilokibart) and Sangamo's Chapter 11 with Lilly's $50M stalking-horse bid on capsid, zinc finger, MINT, and ST-506 prion-disease assets (June 23).