Bayer AG's CEO Arthur Higgins told
The Wall Street Journal the healthcare company may swallow up some smaller healthcare businesses in the next six to 24 months. No surprise given its acquisition pace so far this year, but Higgins told the Journal that the company is interested in acquiring businesses that make over-the-counter
drugs, medications for animals and medical devices, which would be a divergence from its recent deals.
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Over the past year, Bayer has been taking advantage of the recent economy by actively acquiring several small healthcare companies including:
- Direvo Biotech AG for €210 million ($294.3 million) to boost its drug development activities
- Possis Medical Inc. for $361 million to expand its portfolio of intervenous diagnostic and treatment options.
Additionally, Bayer bought orphaned drugs from peers who were restructuring including:
- Nycomed Holdings A/S sold two cancer drugs
- Maxygen Inc. sold hemophilia treatments for $120 million
The German company has been so successful getting new drugs to market that it sparked speculation that Pfizer Inc. was targeting the company, Dealscape noted last month. - Maria Woehr
