Aspen, Merck deal

Aspen will acquire from Merck a Dutch API manufacturing plant in a deal that Aspen said is valued at ZAR10.1 billion ($1 billion). Aspen also acquired an option to acquire a portfolio of 11 branded dosage form products from Merck. Aspen will acquire the shares of the API business for ZAR472 million ($47.7 million), along with inventory with an expected value of about ZAR3.9 billion ($394.3 million). Merck will continue to purchase APIs from Aspen under a 10-year supply contract. Aspen said the API business had revenues of €284 million ($374.8 million) in 2012. One of the APIs manufactured at the site is heparin, which is used in the manufacture of Fraxiparine nadroparine. Earlier this month, Aspen said its Aspen Global Inc. subsidiary would acquire from GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; NYSE:GSK, London, U.K.) worldwide rights, except for China, Pakistan and India, to injectable anticoagulants Fraxiparine and Arixtra fondaparinux synthetic Factor Xa inhibitor by the end of this year. GSK, in turn, had rights to the two products from Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY, Paris, France) (see BioCentury, April 19, 2004). ...