Shire acquiring ViroPharma

Shire plc (LSE:SHP; NASDAQ:SHPG) will acquire ViroPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:VPHM) for $50 per share in cash, which the companies said values ViroPharma at $4.2 billion. The price is a 27% premium to ViroPharma's close of $39.38 on Friday, before the deal was announced, and a 64% premium to ViroPharma's close of $ 30.47 on Sept. 12, before the company jumped on rumors of a possible auction after receiving an unsolicited bid (see BioCentury Extra, Sept. 13).

Shire will gain ViroPharma's Cinryze complement 1 (C1) esterase, which the company markets in the U.S. and EU for prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). ViroPharma reported $323.9 million in total revenues for the nine months ended Sept. 30, and has forecasted annual revenues of $445-$465 million for 2013. Shire already markets Firazyr icatibant in the U.S. and EU to treat acute HAE attacks. ...