1422 ET -- Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co. are two of the most mentioned companies in the U.S. across all news items in the last 12 hours, according to Factiva data. J&J will acquire Ambrx Biopharma in a deal with a total equity value of about $2 billion. Merck agreed to buy Harpoon Therapeutics for about $680 million. In both transactions, the per-share deal value is more than twice the Friday closing price. Dow Jones & Co. owns Factiva. (josh.beckerman@wsj.com)


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

01-08-24 1439ET