Novartis closed on a large acquisition of Avidity Biosciences, paying a multibillion‑dollar premium to secure Avidity’s antibody‑oligonucleotide conjugates and late‑stage pipeline. Management framed the price as an investment to position Novartis as a leader in neuromuscular diseases and RNA therapeutics. Avidity’s lead candidate delpacibart zotadirsen showed encouraging early data on dystrophin production in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Novartis emphasized expected launches before 2030. The acquisition expands Novartis’s neuroscience and RNA capabilities and supplements its existing gene‑therapy footprint. Avidity also announced a U.S. managed‑access program for its investigational del‑zota in Duchenne amenable to exon 44 skipping, signaling a commercial and patient‑access bridge during regulatory review. Investors and competitors will assess integration risks, regulatory timing and how the buy alters late‑stage competition in neuromuscular modalities.