--- title: 'Industry Daily Summary: What Happened on October 22, 2026' headline: EQT agrees to buy Qiagen for €10.8 billion description: Astellas will pay AI Proteins more than $400 million upfront for miniprotein research. CSL and Voyager also named incoming CEOs. url: https://thebench.bio/news/industry/2026-10-22 topic: industry date: '2026-10-22' covers: - '2026-10-22' date_published: '2026-10-22T12:02:26Z' date_modified: '2026-10-22T12:02:26Z' tags: - Industry - Software sources: 4 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Industry Daily Summary: What Happened on October 22, 2026 **EQT agrees to buy Qiagen for €10.8 billion** Astellas will pay AI Proteins more than $400 million upfront for miniprotein research. CSL and Voyager also named incoming CEOs. ## Today in brief Qiagen accepted an all-cash offer from EQT and investment partners valuing the company at about €10.8 billion, including net debt. [1] Astellas will pay AI Proteins more than $400 million upfront to design miniprotein candidates against targets Astellas chooses. [2] CSL chose ViiV Healthcare CEO Deborah Waterhouse as its next chief executive, and Voyager plans to replace CEO Sandrock with Swartz. [3] ## EQT's €10.8 billion offer would take Qiagen private Qiagen agreed to an all-cash takeover offer from EQT Private Equity and investment partners Luxinva and CPP Investment Board Europe, valuing the company at about €10.8 billion, including net debt. [1] At €46.50 per share, the offer is 40.3% above Qiagen's unaffected closing price on July 8, 2026. [1] Qiagen said its boards unanimously backed the deal after reviewing strategic and private equity buyers. [1] The deal needs acceptance from holders of more than half the outstanding share capital, shareholder approval, and antitrust and foreign-investment clearances. [1] The companies expect it to close in mid-2027 if those conditions are met. [1] ## Astellas commits more than $400 million upfront for miniprotein research AI Proteins will receive more than $400 million upfront from Astellas Innovation Management to design and optimize miniproteins against targets selected by Astellas. [2] The companies will use AI Proteins' computational platform to discover and develop candidates. [2] Astellas holds an exclusive worldwide license to candidates generated by the collaboration and will oversee their later development, regulatory work, and commercialization. [2] AI Proteins may also earn milestone payments and royalties on net sales. [2] ## Also worth knowing - CSL expects Deborah Waterhouse to become CEO and managing director on February 1, 2027. Voyager plans for Swartz to succeed Sandrock as CEO next year. [3] - Aiforia's digital pathology AI software will be available through PathAI's AISight Marketplace under a commercial agreement. The companies aim to integrate the tools into existing case-review workflows. [4] ## The day in numbers - **€46.50 per share**: Cash price in EQT's offer for Qiagen, 40.3% above its unaffected July 8, 2026, closing price. [1] - **More than $400 million**: Upfront cash Astellas will pay AI Proteins for the miniprotein collaboration. [2] ## Also published - [Roche posts solid results ahead of looming patent cliff](), pharmaphorum - [Podcast: The impact of prediction markets on the clinical sector](), Pharmaceutical Technology - [12 Questions with Julia Jakl](), pharmaphorum - [Latest News on TechBio Revolution ⏺️](), MetaphysicalCells - [Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: FDA Approves Hibsago](), Pharmaceutical Executive - [CSL Names Deborah Waterhouse as CEO and Manager Director](), Pharmaceutical Executive - [ViiV's Waterhouse exits to take the CEO job at CSL](), pharmaphorum ## Sources 1. [Qiagen agrees to go private with €10.8B takeover by EQT](), European Biotechnology, 2026-10-22 2. [Astellas and AI Proteins sign miniprotein therapeutics deal](), Pharmaceutical Technology, 2026-10-22 3. [CSL, Voyager introduce incoming CEOs](), BioCentury, 2026-10-22 4. [Aiforia deal to expand access to pathology AI](), Pharmafile, 2026-10-22 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: