OREANDA-NEWS AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has reached an agreement to acquire American Fusion Pharmaceuticals, specializing in the development of radiopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca said in a press release.

AstraZeneca will pay $21 in cash per Fusion share. The agreement provides for additional payments of up to $3 per share upon achievement of certain indicators. The total amount of the transaction is estimated at $2.4 billion.

Fusion quotes ended Monday's trading at $10.64 per paper. Over the past 12 months, the company's capitalization has grown by more than 2.5 times (by 165%) on expectations that it may become a target for takeover by larger players in the sector.

The deal is expected to close before the end of the second quarter.

AstraZeneca is an international biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge (UK). The company develops and commercializes medicines primarily in areas such as oncology, cardiology, nephrology and metabolism, respiratory and autoimmune diseases, as well as rare diseases. The company operates in more than 100 countries around the world.