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’Reckitt finally makes its move for SSL
That’s a relief.
After what feels like a decade of speculation, Reckitt Benckiser has finally got round to bidding for Durex condom maker and Scholl footcare group SSL International.
And what a bid it is.
Vaccines give a boost to pharma M&A
A recent flurry of deals in the pharmaceutical sector highlights what savvy investors have known for some time — vaccines are the new M&A targets.
The Wall Street Journal notes on Monday that the recent health scares over global pandemics and the growing involvement of governments in purchasing vaccines en masse have become key driving forces in the thriving world of pharma M&A.
Snap news
Breaking pre-market news on Wednesday,
- NYSE Euronext announces plan to sell stake in NYSE Amex options market – statement.
- Merck KGaA aquires Suzhou Taizhu Technology for €28m – statement.
- Vivendi launches amicable €2bn tender offer for Brazil’s GVT – statement.
Sanofi’s $4bn Merial acquisition
Deal making is heating up in the world of big pharma, with French drugs group Sanofi-Aventis on Thursday confirming that it is paying Merck $4bn to take control of their animal health joint venture Merial.
Merck buys Schering-Plough for $41bn
Merck on Monday announced an agreed $41bn takeover of its New Jersey rival, Schering-Plough, just six weeks after Pfizer’s $68bn takeover of Wyeth was unveiled. The deal, to create one of the world’s biggest drugmakers with combined sales of nearly $50bn,
Mylan in €4.9bn Merck generics deal
Merck of Germany has agreed to sell its generics division to Mylan Laboratories of the US for €4.9bn ($6.6bn). The deal highlights Mylan’s aggressive quest to keep pace with the global reach of the world’s largest generics groups,
UK buy-out firm leads $5bn chase for Merck arm
Greater Pacific Capital, a London-based private equity group set up by former Goldman Sachs bankers, has emerged as a surprise front-runner in the $5bn race for the generic drugs arm of Merck, of Germany,
Bids for Merck’s generics arm top €4bn
Aggressive competition for the generic drugs arm of Merck of Germany pushed offers beyond €4bn ($5.5bn) at the close of a revised round of bids on Monday. Four rivals – Actavis of Iceland, Teva of Israel,
Ranbaxy launches bid for Merck unit
Ranbaxy Laboratories has launched the biggest foreign takeover attempt by an Indian drugs maker, bidding against three western rivals and a private equity group for the generic drugs unit of Germany’s Merck.
PE players queue up for Merck’s generics business
A decision by Germany’s Merck to sell its generics business appears to have drawn intense interest from several buyout groups.
FT Deutschland on Thursday identified two potential club acquirers: Bain Capital working with Apax Partners in competition with KKR and Warburg Pincus for a business thought to be worth upwards of €4bn.
CDS Report: Merck, Ono, Pearson, British Airways
Junk-rated European credit derivatives were trading near record low levels again on Monday morning, underlining the continuing bullishness in the credit market.
The iTraxx Crossover, the index of the most widely traded junk-rated companies — or non-investment grade companies — was trading at 200 basis points,
Ranbaxy targets Merck division
Ranbaxy, India’s largest pharmaceuticals company, is considering linking up with private equity firms to bid for the generic drugs unit of Germany’s Merck as it embarks on an aggressive global expansion.
Merck looks at €3bn-€4bn generics sale
Merck, the German chemicals-to-pharmaceuticals group, is considering the sale of its generic drugs business to help fund its €10.5bn takeover of Swiss biotechnology company Serono announced in September.
Bayer takeover of Schering probed
Germany’s financial markets watchdog Bafin has launched a formal investigation into possible insider trading before the €17bn takeover of drugmaker Schering by rival Bayer in March. A preliminary analysis of trading in Schering shares convinced the watchdog to take a closer look,