Genmab Agrees to Buy Cancer Drugmaker Merus for $8 Billion (1)

Denmark’s Genmab A/S agreed to acquire Merus NV,a Dutch drugmaker that’s developing a treatment for cancer of the head and neck, for about $8 billion.

Genmab will buy Merus shares at $97 each in cash, the two companies said in a statement Monday. That represents a premium of about 41% over the US-listed Merus’ closing price on Sept. 26. Bloomberg News reported earlier that Genmab and Merus were in advanced talks. Genmab shares were down as much as 4.4% in early Copenhagen trading.

The takeover underscores Genmab’s push to bolster its pipeline through deals that expand its presence in ...