Will the Orbital Acquisition Strengthen BMY's Cell Therapy Portfolio?

Core Insights - Bristol Myers (BMY) is set to acquire Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 billion in cash, enhancing its pipeline with OTX-201, a next-generation CAR T-cell therapy aimed at autoimmune diseases [1][11] - The acquisition will also incorporate Orbital's proprietary RNA platform, which focuses on durable and programmable RNA therapies [3][11] Company Pipeline and Products - OTX-201 is an investigational in vivo CAR T-cell therapy that utilizes the patient's own body to produce CAR T-cells, potentially reducing treatment burden and improving accessibility compared to traditional ex vivo therapies [2] - BMY's current cell therapy portfolio includes Breyanzi, a CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy, which has shown significant sales growth of 125% to $344 million in Q2 2025 [4][6] - Breyanzi is approved for multiple indications, including relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia [5] Competitive Landscape - BMY's cell therapies face competition from Gilead Sciences' Yescarta and Novartis' Kymriah, which are also approved for similar indications [7][9] - Yescarta reported sales of $393 million in Q2 2025, indicating strong market competition [9] Financial Performance and Valuation - BMY's shares have declined by 18.4% year-to-date, contrasting with the industry growth of 9.2% [12] - The company is trading at a price/earnings ratio of 7.19X forward earnings, which is below its historical mean of 8.45X and the large-cap pharma industry's average of 15.70X [13] - The bottom-line estimate for 2025 has increased slightly to $6.48, while the estimate for 2026 has decreased to $6.02 [14]