Gilead to buy Tubulis for up to $5 billion

Gilead Sciences, Inc. said on Tuesday, April 7, that it has agreed to acquire Germany-based Tubulis GmbH for up to $5 billion, a deal the company described as a step to strengthen its cancer drug pipeline. The transaction is structured as an upfront cash payment of $3.15 billion, plus up to $1.85 billion tied to milestone achievements. Gilead said it expects the acquisition to close in the second quarter of 2026.

The company said the purchase is designed to add Tubulis’ antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology to Gilead’s oncology efforts. ADCs are intended to deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue, according to the announcement. Gilead framed the technology as a way to broaden and deepen its development options in oncology.

Tubulis’ lead program, TUB-040, is in early-stage development for ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, and it targets the NaPi2b protein, the company said. Another experimental candidate, TUB-030, is being studied across multiple solid tumor types. Gilead said that after the deal closes, Tubulis will operate as an ADC research organization within Gilead.

Gilead positioned the acquisition within a wider push to expand growth areas as it faces impending patent expirations and as sales of its COVID-19 treatment decline. The company has recently pursued additional transactions aimed at oncology and immune disorder treatments. In February, Gilead said it would acquire Arcellx for up to $7.8 billion, and last month it announced a deal for Ouro Medicines for over $2 billion.

-based company buying a Germany-based developer and planning to integrate it as a dedicated research unit. The timeline to the second quarter of 2026 also underscores that the transaction is not immediate, leaving execution and closing conditions as key unknowns until completion. 85 billion in potential payments.