BioMarin to buy rare disease focused Amicus for $4.8B

BioMarin said Friday it would purchase Amicus Therapeutics for $4.8 billion, merging two rare disease-focused biotechs founded around the turn of the century.

With the deal, BioMarin will acquire two approved drugs, one for Pompe disease and one for Fabry disease, that took in $600 million over the past year and that the company said are poised for growth. 

BioMarin will pay $14.50 per share, or a 33% premium over Amicus’s closing price on Thursday.