Pfizer's acquisition of Global Blood Therapeutics Inc: Did GBT make the right choice?

Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (GBT) was a small biotechnology firm with the goal of “Transforming the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD)”, a rare, overlooked condition. In August 2022, GBT was entertaining acquisition offers from various biotechnology firms. The frontrunners in the bidding war for GBT were: Pfizer Inc, an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation; Johnson & Johnson Inc, another American multinational pharmaceutical corporation; and 3 others. Dr. Love was pondering which deal was in the best interests of the GBT top management, product strategy, and employees. Students are asked to use knowledge of success factors in strategic alliances, strategic planning models, and decision-making tools to assess the sustainability of the Pfizer-GBT M&A deal.