Amgen, Actelion Discuss Potential Offer

From M&A Navigator (December 13, 2010)

US biotechnology company Amgen’s (NASDAQ:AMGN) CEO Kevin Sharer has approached his counterpart Jean-Paul Clozel at Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Actelion (VTX:ATLN) to discuss a possible deal, but an offer is still pending, Bloomberg reported, citing people in the know.

According to the insiders, Sharer was willing to find out whether Clozel would be interested in a potential acquisition of his company, which he allegedly preferred to keep independent.

A possible acquisition would enable Amgen, which is the largest biotech company in the world, to expand geographically, with analysts estimating the size of a possible deal at USD9.8bn (EUR7.4bn), or USD75 per share.

Amgen declined to comment.

Actelion, which focuses on pulmonary hypertension treatments, was not immediately available to comment.

Country: , Switzerland
Sector: Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology
Target: Actelion Ltd
Buyer: Amgen Inc
Deal size in USD: 9.8bn
Type: Corporate acquisition
Status: Talks
Comment: The price of the deal is suggested.
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Posted: December 2010