Specialty purchase

Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:SLPX) began the second half as a takeout candidate in the eyes of some buysiders, and its proposed $2.6 billion acquisition of fellow specialty pharma company Santarus Inc. (NASDAQ:SNTS) last week did little to change those beliefs.

Mann Bioinvest's Andy Smith thinks Salix is still an M&A target. "There were probably other people looking at Santarus, who were bigger than Salix, who may now look at Salix."...