Valeant, the serial pharma dealmaker cuts again

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.; market cap (as of 26/02/2015): US$76.68bn Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.; market cap (as of 26/02/2015): US$10.07bn     Introduction The pharmaceutical industry has undergone an intense period of consolidation in the past 18 months which is far from over as the big players take advantage of the Read more…

Pfizer sets sail for a new (nearer) shore: Hospira

Pfizer Inc.; market cap (as of 20/02/2015): US$217.75bn Hospira Inc.; market cap (as of 20/02/2015): US$14.97bn Introduction On February 5th, 2014, pharmaceutical behemoth Pfizer signed with Hospira, the world’s leading provider of injectable drugs and biosimilars, a definitive merger agreement which consists of the fully acquisition of Hospira for US$90 Read more…

Two is better than one! Or not? Rio Tinto declines a merger offer to create world’s largest mining player

Rio Tinto Plc; market cap (as of 10/10/2014): £55.42bn Glencore Plc; market cap (as of 10/10/2014): £41.52bn Rio Tinto, the England-based second-largest supplier of iron ore worldwide, has rejected a merger proposal from the smaller Switzerland-based rival Glencore, preventing a deal that would have created the largest player in mining Read more…

Scramble to fend off takeover: Allergan vs. Valeant

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International; Market Cap. (as of 3/10/2014): $42.9bn Allergan Inc.; Market Cap. (as of 3/10/2014): $53.64bn As low debt obligations alongside large cash holdings and patent expiration liabilities continue to foster a conducive environment for M&A activity in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry another multi-billion dollar struggle has emerged: Read more…

Bayer acquires Merck’s consumer care business for an eye-catching price

Bayer AG Market Cap (09/05/2014): $115.17bn Merck & Co., Inc. Market Cap (09/05/2014): $161.23bn On May 6th, Bayer announced the acquisition of Merck’s consumer care business for a hefty $14.2bn, surpassing competing offers from Boehringer-Ingelheim and Reckitt Benckiser and, thus becoming the second largest company in over-the-counter (OTC) products worldwide. Read more…

Vodafone acquires Ono in a €7.2bn deal to strengthen its quad-play capabilities

Vodafone Group Plc. Market Cap (as of 21/03/14): £59.96bn Ono Market Cap (as of 21/03/14): N/A After having submitted several non-binding offers under €7bn, world’s second-largest wireless carrier Vodafone Group Plc. has confirmed the acquisition of Ono, a private-equity owned Spanish cable TV and internet provider, in a transaction worth Read more…