argenx stock advances as peptide deal broadens drug discovery

argenx said on Monday, November 9, that it agreed to acquire Unnatural Products, a Santa Cruz, California-based biotechnology company. The transaction adds a macrocyclic peptide discovery engine to argenx's immunology platform, according to ad-hoc-news.

What the acquisition changes

argenx will pay 550 million US dollars in cash upfront. A further 595 million US dollars depends on development and regulatory milestones, putting the potential transaction value at up to 1.15 billion US dollars.

The deal builds on more than two years of collaboration and investment. Unnatural Products uses parallel experimentation and machine learning in macrocyclic peptide discovery, while argenx brings antibody engineering, clinical development and commercial capabilities.

Unnatural Products' team and leadership are expected to continue working from Santa Cruz after closing. The site is intended to become argenx's home for peptide discovery, supporting possible oral or long-acting medicines for serious immune-mediated diseases.

What has changed since our last report

argenx stock traded at 866.00 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 17:47 CET on Tuesday, November 10. That was 1.30 percent above the 854.90-euro quote at 10:33 CET cited in the earlier report. This change since the earlier report is a separate reference from the Xetra daily comparison.

Both boards have approved the agreement, but completion remains subject to customary closing conditions and is expected by the end of 2026. The milestone component also depends on the future progress of the relevant development and regulatory programs.

European biotechnology investors will also follow the AEX market environment as the transaction advances.

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