Novartis has acquired the pulmonary business unit of Nektar Therapeutics to strengthen its capabilities for developing medicines that can be delivered through the lungs. For $115 million Novartis gains 140 of Nektar’s employees, an experienced research and development team, and strengthens its drug delivery development capabilities.

Novartis will utilize these gains to build on existing capabilities and accelerate its pipeline targeting life-threatening diseases such as COPD.

“Through our existing collaborations, we have a high regard for the Nektar team and for their technologies, and these capabilities will play an important role in developing our respiratory pipeline,” says Joe Jimenez, chief executive officer of Novartis Pharma AG.