A company called Curium has agreed to buy Lantheus, a pharmaceutical company, for $102.50 per share in cash. On top of that, shareholders could get up to $12 more per share if the company hits certain sales goals. Together, the deal could be worth as much as $8 billion. Reuters reported the deal on August 3, 2026.

The deal works in two steps. First, shareholders get $102.50 per share in cash when the sale closes. That part is guaranteed. Second, there's a bonus — up to $12 more per share — but only if Lantheus meets specific sales targets after the deal closes. This kind of bonus is called a contingent value right, or CVR. It's common in drug company deals when the buyer thinks the company might grow but doesn't want to pay for that growth upfront. Instead, the buyer says: if the company does well, I'll pay you more. If it doesn't, you get the base price.

This deal came together quickly. In May 2026, Reuters reported that Lantheus was considering a sale after Curium made an offer worth about $7 billion. Just over two months later, they reached a final agreement at a number that grew by about $1 billion, or roughly 14%.

The jump from $7 billion to as much as $8 billion could come from a few things: other companies competing to buy Lantheus, better information about Lantheus's business during negotiations, or simply the normal back-and-forth of bargaining. The bonus payment structure may have helped both sides agree — Curium could offer a bigger total number while protecting itself if Lantheus's sales fall short.

For Lantheus shareholders, the cash payment is good news because the price is locked in. In some deals, shareholders receive stock in the buying company instead of cash, which means their payout can change if that stock price moves. Here, the cash part is fixed. But because the extra $12 per share depends on future sales, the total payout isn't certain. Shareholders have to decide whether to wait and see if the sales targets are met, or sell their shares now at whatever the market price is.

The deal still needs approval from regulators, including antitrust review — a check to make sure the merger doesn't unfairly reduce competition. No closing date has been announced.

Both companies work in radiopharmaceuticals — drugs that use radioactive material to diagnose or treat diseases, including cancer. Curium, backed by private investors, has been buying up companies in this area. The $8 billion ceiling makes this one of the bigger recent deals in this field.

For Lantheus shareholders, the key things to watch are whether the deal gets regulatory approval, how long that takes, and — after the deal closes — whether the company hits the sales targets tied to the bonus. The final value per share will land somewhere between $102.50 and $114.50, depending on how the business performs.

The broader context is that this deal moved fast. Going from a $7 billion opening offer to a finalized agreement worth up to $8 billion in about ten weeks shows how quickly these sales can happen when both sides want a deal and a structured bonus can help them agree on price. Using a performance-based bonus to close the gap between what the buyer wants to pay and what the seller wants to receive is a familiar pattern in the drug industry, and this deal follows that playbook.