西亚试剂优势供应上万种化学试剂产品，欢迎各位新老客户咨询、选购！
中国
联系我们
联系方式：400-990-3999 / 邮箱：sales@xiyashiji.com
西亚试剂 —— 品质可靠，值得信赖
Actavis plc (ACT) has joined the list of suitors, along with Sanofi SA (ADR) (SNY), Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, and Perrigo Company plc (PRGO), to acquire Omega Pharma NV, a private company that focuses on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The deal could be worth as much as €4 billion ($5 billion), Bloomberg reported early Tuesday morning.
People familiar with the matter said that Actavis is pursuing Omega and is one of the final bidders. The sources have chosen to remain anonymous because the information is private.
Actavis, along with other bidders, will be supplying Omega with a final offer next month, while all bidders continue to evaluate Omega's potential and perform other necessary measures.
Omega, headquartered in Nazareth, Belgium, is a specialty pharmaceutical and a leading player in the OTC drug market. The company traded on the Euronext Brussels stock exchange for 13 years until February 2012, when it was privatized by its founder Marc Coucke's company Alychlo NV and another company, Waterland Private Equity Fund, for €848 million ($1.08 billion). At the time, the company had market capitalization of €754 million ($966 million).
Omega generated sales of €1.21 billion ($1.55 billion) in 2013, higher when compared to €1.04 billion ($1.33 billion) generated in 2012. According to some sources, the company has already accumulated €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) in revenue during the first half of the current year.
The company said that its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for 2013 amounted to €231 million ($296.4 million), up 14.1% when compared to earnings generated in 2012. Net income for 2013 amounted to €69.6 million ($89.2 million), up 5.1% from €66.2 million ($84.8 million) in 2012. As per the company's website, assets were reported at €2.18 billion ($2.79 billion) on the balance sheet.
Omega has nearly 2,000 brands which cover dermatological, cough & cold, anti-parasites, pain-relief, and other OTC drugs. These include some highly sold OTC drugs such as Solpadeine and Optalidon.
Reports had surfaced in July this year that Omega is looking for a suitor to sell off its business. The news was confirmed when it was found that Morgan Stanley (MS) is advising the company in this regard. Later, Boehringer and Perrigo emerged as among the interested companies. In August, Sanofi and Bayer AG (ADR) (BAYRY) were also said to be in talks with Omega.
Actavis' Pursuit Of Acquisition Targets
Omega is not the first company that Actavis is looking to acquire. Earlier, there was news that Actavis had approached Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (SLXP) with an acquisition offer. Salix, valued at $10.8 billion, was earlier being pursued by Allergan, Inc. (AGN), which itself is looking to acquire a company to make itself a complex and expensive acquisition target for Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (VRX). Allergan is reported to have dismissed the idea of acquiring Salix on valuation concerns and shareholder pressure.
Actavis currently has market capitalization of $59.4 billion after yesterday's 2% gain in share price on the news. The company seems to be working to expand its business aggressively. It closed a merger dealwith Durata Therapeutics Inc (DRTX) this month to bring into its fold Durata's infectious disease portfolio, mainly comprising injectable antibiotic Dalvance for treatment of skin infections. The acquisition was valued at $675 million, where Actavis will pay $23 in cash for each share of Durata. The merger is expected to be completed by early next year.
Last year, Actavis acquired Ireland-based Warner Chilcott Plc - a move that enabled Actavis to shift its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Dublin. The tax-inversion deal, valued at $5 billion, helped Actavis lower its effective tax rate to nearly 17%, compared to the earlier 37% before the deal. These tax-inversion deals enable companies to free their foreign cash flows, which would otherwise be taxed heavily. Actavis certainly seems to be making use of the tax savings by putting the money into acquisitions.
However, an Irish-based domicile has also made Actavis an acquisition target for Pfizer Inc. (PFE), which is looking to acquire a company for tax-inversion purposes.
