Novo Nordisk A/S (CPH: NOVO-B) made an acquisition proposal of EUR2.6bn (USD3.2bn) to Ablynx NV (EBR: ABLX) on 22 December 2017, the company confirmed on Monday.

The Danish group made a previous offer to the Belgian biotech company on 14 December, which was rejected. Novo Nordisk said that its new bid was 14% greater than the first.

Ablynx specialises in researching novel drugs and has so far seen successful medical trial data. Its pipeline includes products that target diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and cancer, Reuters notes.

Following deep business and product portfolio analysis, Novo Nordisk believes that combining Ablynx's caplacizumab with its global haematology franchise and worldwide resources would provide a strong opportunity for Ablynx to see the full potential of its portfolio.

The proposed acquisition would bring together Novo Nordisk's regulatory, scientific and commercial expertise with Ablynx's strong existing medical teams to progress the development and global commercialisation of caplacizumab.