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- Verona Pharma
Verona Pharma Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Verona Pharma was acquired by Merck for $10B in July 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
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
Website
Status
Acquired
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Product sales
Valuation
$10B (acquired Jul 2025)
Sectors
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.
| Acquirer | Date | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jul 2025 | Strategic 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
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2020 | Undisclosed stage | RA 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 | $200M | Verona 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
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2020 | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 17 Verona Pharma investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialVerona 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.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $658M | $84M | $10B | 10.1x | ||
| Publicly listed | - | ($870M) | $10B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | - | ($180M) | $9.9B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $459M | ($155M) | $10B | 14.9x | ||
| Private | $2B | - | $8.5B | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $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 FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $658M | $84M | 15.2x | 10.1x | 119.4x | 35.6x | |||
| - | ($870M) | - | - | (10.4x) | (7.4x) | |||
| - | ($180M) | - | - | (49.6x) | (31.6x) | |||
| $459M | ($155M) | 20.9x | 14.9x | (62.1x) | (481.5x) | |||
| $160M | $124M | 62.6x | 31.1x | 80.4x | 47.8x | |||
| $2.9B | $885M | 3.2x | 3.0x | 10.7x | 11.4x | |||
| $958M | ($302M) | 9.1x | 5.8x | (28.7x) | - | |||
| $2.8B | $574M | 3.8x | 3.7x | 18.5x | 21.3x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Verona Pharma competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
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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