Verona Pharma Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Verona Pharma was acquired by Merck for $10B in July 2025.

Verona Pharma acquisition price

$10B

Acquired by Merck · Jul 2025

Cumulative funding Verona Pharma raised

$200M

across 1 funding round

Key investors in Verona Pharma

  • New Enterprise Associates
  • OrbiMed
  • RA Capital Management
  • Novo Holdings
  • Perceptive Advisors
  • Foresite Capital
  • Vivo Capital
  • Samsara BioCapital

Verona Pharma Overview

About Verona Pharma

Verona Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing inhaled therapies for respiratory conditions including cystic fibrosis, asthma, and COPD. London-headquartered and Nasdaq-listed as VRNA, it launched Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) in 2024 as the first dual PDE3/4 inhibitor approved by the FDA for maintenance treatment of COPD. Founded in 2005, the firm advances nebulized and dry powder formulations through partnerships with Nuance Pharma in China.


Founded

2005

HQ

United KingdomLondon

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Product sales

Valuation

$10B (acquired Jul 2025)

Verona Pharma Acquisition

Verona Pharma was acquired by Merck for $10B on 9 July 2025.

Before the acquisition Verona Pharma had raised $200M across 1 funding round.

Verona Pharma plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory diseases with U.S. headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., developed Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine), a first-in-class COPD maintenance treatment approved by the U.S. FDA in 2024 and launched in August 2024. The drug achieved rapid U.S. uptake, with 5,300 doctors prescribing it in Q1 2025 and analysts forecasting peak annual sales over $4 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada), a global pharmaceutical giant, acquired Verona Pharma to strengthen its cardio-pulmonary portfolio amid impending Keytruda patent losses, leveraging synergies with its Winrevair commercialization for overlapping prescribers in the 14,500-doctor U.S. COPD base. Merck announced the definitive agreement on July 8-9, 2025, to purchase all outstanding Verona Pharma American Depositary Shares (ADS, each representing eight ordinary shares) at $107 per ADS, valuing the deal at approximately $10 billion—a 23% premium to the prior closing price and 39% to the 60-day VWAP. This marks Merck's largest acquisition since Prometheus Biosciences ($11 billion, 2023) and Acceleron Pharma ($11.5 billion, 2021), aligning with its science-led strategy for blockbuster potential in cardio-pulmonary diseases. The deal, approved by both boards, required Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust clearance, Verona shareholder approval, and sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales under a UK scheme of arrangement. The transaction closed on October 7, 2025, making Verona a wholly-owned Merck subsidiary, with Verona ADS trading halted on Nasdaq that day. Most of the purchase price was capitalized as an intangible asset for Ohtuvayre, amortized as a GAAP-only charge, with the deal expected to dilute Merck's non-GAAP EPS by $0.16 in the first 12 months due to financing costs partially offset by Ohtuvayre performance. Ohtuvayre remains unapproved in Europe, positioning it for long-term growth into the next decade within Merck's pipeline of 20 potential blockbusters.

Verona Pharma acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePrice
9 Jul 2025Strategic M&A$10B

Sources: merck.com, merck.com, globenewswire.com

Verona Pharma Funding History

Verona Pharma has raised a total of $200M across 1 funding round.

Verona Pharma funding rounds

Verona Pharma funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jul 2020Undisclosed stageRA Capital Management (lead); Access Biotechnology (lead); Perceptive Advisors (lead); Fairmount Funds Management; Polar Capital Holdings; Novo Holdings; Soleus Capital; New Enterprise Associates; Foresite Capital; Vivo Capital; Abingworth; Acorn Bioventures; PBM Capital Group; OrbiMed; Samsara BioCapital; Sphera Global Healthcare Fund; Aisling Capital$200MVerona Pharma raised approximately $200 million in an oversubscribed private placement and subscription announced in July 2020, with existing investor Vivo Capital taking part. The financing comprised 39,090,009 American Depositary Shares at $4.50 each and 43,111,112 ordinary shares at the equivalent price, and Verona expected net proceeds of about $183 million. It was led by new investors RA Capital Management, Access Biotechnology, Perceptive Advisors and others, while existing investors OrbiMed, New Enterprise Associates, Vivo Capital, Abingworth, Novo Holdings, Polar Capital and Aisling Capital also participated. Vivo held about 11.2 percent of the company before the deal, so its participation counted as a related party transaction under AIM rules. Verona planned to fund its Phase 3 ENHANCE programme of nebulised ensifentrine in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and general corporate purposes. Verona Pharma is a London and Raleigh respiratory biopharmaceutical company founded in 2005, listed on AIM and Nasdaq, and later acquired by Merck.

Who has invested in Verona Pharma?

17 investors have backed Verona Pharma across its funding rounds, including New Enterprise Associates, OrbiMed, RA Capital Management, Novo Holdings, Perceptive Advisors and Foresite Capital.

Lead investors include RA Capital Management, Access Biotechnology and Perceptive Advisors.


Verona Pharma Investors

Investors in Verona Pharma by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Fairmount Funds ManagementUnited StatesPhiladelphia, PA1ParticipantJul 2020
Polar Capital HoldingsUnited KingdomLondon1ParticipantJul 2020
Novo HoldingsDenmarkCopenhagen1ParticipantJul 2020
Soleus CapitalUnited StatesGreenwich, CT1ParticipantJul 2020
New Enterprise AssociatesUnited StatesMenlo Park, CA1ParticipantJul 2020
Foresite CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJul 2020
Vivo CapitalUnited StatesPalo Alto1ParticipantJul 2020
AbingworthUnited KingdomLondon1ParticipantJul 2020
Acorn BioventuresUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJul 2020
PBM Capital GroupUnited StatesCharlottesville, VA1ParticipantJul 2020
RA Capital ManagementUnited StatesBoston, MA1LeadJul 2020
OrbiMedUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJul 2020
Samsara BioCapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJul 2020

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Verona Pharma Competitors

Verona Pharma competitors include listed companies like Haisco Pharmaceutical, Vaxcyte, Spyre Therapeutics and Akeso, and private ones like Intas Pharmaceuticals and Biosplice Therapeutics.

Public and private companies comparable to Verona Pharma
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Haisco PharmaceuticalChinaChinaPublicly listed$658M$84M$10B10.1x
VaxcyteUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed-($870M)$10B-
Spyre TherapeuticsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed-($180M)$9.9B-
AkesoChinaChinaPublicly listed$459M($155M)$10B14.9x
Intas PharmaceuticalsIndiaAhmedabadPrivate$2B-$8.5B-
Biosplice TherapeuticsUnited StatesSan Diego, CAPrivate--$12B-

Verona Pharma Public Comps

Verona Pharma is no longer listed, but its public comps include Haisco Pharmaceutical, Vaxcyte, Spyre Therapeutics, Akeso, Alteogen, Lupin, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Kelun, TG Therapeutics and ImmunityBio.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Haisco Pharmaceutical$658M$84M15.2x10.1x119.4x35.6x
Vaxcyte-($870M)--(10.4x)(7.4x)
Spyre Therapeutics-($180M)--(49.6x)(31.6x)
Akeso$459M($155M)20.9x14.9x(62.1x)(481.5x)
Alteogen$160M$124M62.6x31.1x80.4x47.8x
Lupin$2.9B$885M3.2x3.0x10.7x11.4x
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals$958M($302M)9.1x5.8x(28.7x)-
Kelun$2.8B$574M3.8x3.7x18.5x21.3x

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Common questions about Verona Pharma

When was Verona Pharma founded?Verona Pharma was founded in 2005.
Where is Verona Pharma headquartered?Verona Pharma is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
Is Verona Pharma publicly listed?No, Verona Pharma was acquired by Merck in July 2025.
Who acquired Verona Pharma?Verona Pharma was acquired by Merck in July 2025.
How much was Verona Pharma acquired for?Verona Pharma was acquired for $10B in July 2025.
How much funding has Verona Pharma raised?Verona Pharma has raised $200M across 1 funding round.
What was Verona Pharma's last funding round?Verona Pharma's last funding round was a $200M undisclosed-stage round in July 2020, led by RA Capital Management, Access Biotechnology and Perceptive Advisors.
Who are Verona Pharma's investors?Verona Pharma's investors include Fairmount Funds Management, Polar Capital Holdings, Novo Holdings, Soleus Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Foresite Capital, Vivo Capital, Abingworth, Acorn Bioventures, PBM Capital Group and 7 others.
Which companies are comparable to Verona Pharma?Companies comparable to Verona Pharma include Haisco Pharmaceutical, Vaxcyte, Spyre Therapeutics, Akeso, Intas Pharmaceuticals and Biosplice Therapeutics.

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