Exit watch, week of Dec. 14, 2009

Celgene scoops up Gloucester Pharma for $640MCelgene Corp. (Nasdaq:CELG) has agreed to acquire Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, Mass.-based developer of oncology drugs. The deal is valued at up to $640 million, including a $340 million up-front cash payment and up to $300 million in earn-outs. Gloucester Pharma had raised more than $130 million in VC funding from Apple Tree Partners, Novo AS, ProQuest Investments, Prospect Venture Partners and Rho Ventures.

Apple acquires Lala

Apple has acquired Palo Alto, Calif.-based La La Media, providers of streaming and other digital music services known as Lala, for an undisclosed price. AllThingsDigital reported last week that the transaction was valued at about $80 million. La La launched in 2006, primarily as an online trading service, allowing members to swap CDs. Investors, including Bain Capital Ventures, Ignition Partners and Warner Music invested about $15 million into the company over two rounds in 2006 and 2007, according to Thomson Reuters (publisher of PE Week). Warner Music reportedly took an $11 million write-down for a $20 million stake in Lala earlier this year.

Roper buys Verathon
Roper Industries Inc. (NYSE: ROP) has acquired Verathon Inc., a Bothell, Wash.-based provider of medical devices and such services as a noninvasive bladder-scan device. No financial terms were disclosed. Verathon has raised nearly $16 million from DW Healthcare Partners and other investors.

Cell Biosciences buys Protein Forest
Cell Biosciences, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of nanoproteomic analysis systems to life science researchers, has acquired Protein Forest, a Lexington, Mass.-based provider of sample preparation technology for proteomic analysis and biomarker discovery. No financial terms were disclosed. Protein Forest had raised about $27 million from Boston Millennia Partners, Flybridge Capital Partners, Novo A/S, PureTech Ventures and S.R. One Ltd. Cell Biosciences is also venture-backed, having raised about $60 million in VC funding from Novo A/S, The Wellcome Trust, Domain Associates, Latterell Venture Partners, Mitsui Ventures, Royal Bank of Canada and The Vertical Group.