Pfizer is about to buy Arena Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion. Arena is a biopharmaceutical company focused in part on cardiovascular and inflammatory medicines to a global patient cohort. A majority of mainstream news outlets have focused their reportage on Arena’s bowel disease treatment, while failing to mention the firm’s cardiovascular research.
Utah-based Arena has existing partnerships with United Therapeutics, who focus their research efforts on pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pfizer’s decision to acquire Arena and their relationship with United Therapeutics is certain to net the company more in return than the bowel disease treatment touted by the corporate press.
Arena’s Crunchbase page also boasts the company’s focus on cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. A post on their website states the company is “expanding our capabilities to study cardiovascular conditions.”
One of the core issues related to COVID-19 is a predisposition to pulmonary arterial hypertension.
COVID-19 vaccinations have also been heavily linked to cardiovascular issues such as myocarditis, especially in young men. Though a majority of the mainstream news media’s reportage has focused on Moderna’s mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 and links to myocarditis, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has also been linked to the heart condition.
Mike Gladstone, global president and general manager of Pfizer Inflammation and Immunology has been quoted as saying that “the acquisition will complement the capabilities and expertise of both company. Utilizing Pfizer’s leading research and global development capabilities, we plan to accelerate the clinical development of etrasimod for patients with immuno-inflammatory diseases.”