Johnson & Johnson acquired Actelion in 2017 for approximately $30 billion.
The companies announced the agreement in January 2017, and the transaction closed in June 2017. Actelion was a Swiss biotechnology company known especially for medicines treating pulmonary arterial hypertension, a serious condition affecting blood vessels in the lungs.
As part of the arrangement, Johnson & Johnson obtained Actelion's marketed medicines and research activities. Actelion's early-stage research and development operations were separated into a new company called Idorsia, founded by former Actelion executives. Johnson & Johnson also received rights connected with that new company's pipeline under the transaction structure.
The deal was not simply a purchase of a traditional pharmaceutical manufacturer. Its design combined a large acquisition with the creation of an independent research company. That structure is why reports about the transaction may mention both Actelion and Idorsia, even though Johnson & Johnson acquired Actelion's operating business.