Mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring

A roundup of company moves and positioning from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and contract service providers.

Mumbai (Aug. 23)—Nicholas Piramal India's board of directors was scheduled to meet Aug. 31 to consider a proposal for restructuring the company's research and development division by de-merging its new chemical entity research unit into a separate entity.

3Irvine, CA (Aug. 16)—Nexgen Pharma India's acquired certain assets of The Chemins Company located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The acquired assets include 250,000 ft.² of manufacturing, laboratory, and warehouse, and distribution space.

Milford, MA (Aug. 16)—Waters India'sacquired Calorimetry Sciences Corporation (CSC), a manufacturer of high-performance calorimeters. The CSC business, with annual sales of approximately $4 million, will be added to Waters's TA Instruments Division, and the transaction is not expected to affect Waters 2007 earnings

Thousand Oaks, CA (Aug. 15)—Amgenannounced it would cut 2200–2600 jobs as part of a plan to increase operational efficiencies. The job cuts are the first ever for the company and will result in a 12–14% staff reduction. Amgen's plan also includes closing certain production operations and reducing planned capital expenditures by approximately $1.9 billion during 2007–2008.

Kevin Sharer, Amgen's chairman and chief executive officer, stated, "Recent changes in coverage rules and adjustments to Amgen's FDA-approved labels for 'Epogen' and 'Aranesp' have and will adversely affect Amgen's revenue. The initiatives announced today respond to that new reality by taking account of reduced revenues and appropriately lowering costs across the company."

Amgen expects its initiatives to be completed by 2008 and to generate $1.0–1.3 billion in pretax savings. The cumulative pretax restructuring charges associated with these changes are expected to be $600–700 million in 2007 and 2008, including $289 million for asset impairment and related costs reported in the second quarter of 2008.

Miami (Aug. 15)—Noven Pharmaceuticals completed its previously announced acquisition of JDS Pharmaceuticals. JDS is a specialty pharmaceutical company that currently markets two branded prescription psychiatry products and focuses on products in psychiatry and women's health.

Vienna, VA (Aug. 14)—Cel-Sci entered into an agreement, valued at roughly $15 million, with a biomedical real estate group under which Cel-Sci acquires long-term use of a dedicated manufacturing facility near Baltimore, Maryland for its cancer drug "Multikine." The facility will produce Multikine for Phase III clinical trials and following marketing approval, commercial product.

Paoli, PA (Aug. 13)—Ametek acquired Cameca (Paris), a manufacturer of elemental analysis systems used in advanced laboratory research, semiconductor and nanotechnology applications. Cameca was purchased from an investment group led by the Carlyle Group for approximately EUR 82 million ($112 million). Cameca has estimated annual sales of EUR 60 million ($82 million).

Sydney, Australia (Aug. 9)—Shareholders of the biotechnology company EvoGenix voted in favor of a proposed merger of the company with the Australian biotechnology company Peptech.

London (Aug. 9)—Hikma Pharmaceuticals,a multinational pharmaceuticals group, agreed to acquire the entire issued share capital of Alkan Pharma, an Egyptian pharmaceuticals company, for a cash consideration of $60.5 million. The acquisition is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2007, subject to meeting certain regulatory requirements. The acquisition will be funded entirely by debt.

New York (Aug. 8)—American Oriental Bioengineering, a manufacturer and distributor of plant-based pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, signed a legally binding letter of intent to acquire Guangxi Boke Pharmaceutical, a privately owned plant-based healthcare company, in a transaction valued at approximately $40.0 million.

Bad Vilbel, Germany (Aug. 3)—Stada acquired the Russian pharmaceuticals group Makiz through a contract on the purchase of 100% of the shares of Zao Makiz-Pharma, Zao Skopinpharm and Zao Biodyne Pharmaceuticals. The contract was concluded by Stada's Russian subsidiary Nizhpharm Oao, Nizhny Novgorod. The staggered purchase price, which partly depends on the results of fiscal year 2007, is expected to amount to a total of approximately EUR 125 million ($172 million) less net debt of the group at closing, but will be EUR 135 million ($186 million) at maximum.

Los Angles, CA (Aug. 1)—Abraxis BioScience, a biopharmaceutical company, acquired fromWatson Pharmaceuticals a sterile injectable manufacturing facility located in Phoenix, Arizona. This facility, which has the ability to manufacture lyophilized powders, suspension products, and aqueous and oil solutions, currently manufactures products for Watson and other third parties.

South San Francisco, CA (Aug. 2)—Genentech announced that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act has expired and it has completed the acquisition of Tanox, Inc. Tanox shareholders approved the merger agreement on January 15, 2007.