Health and Healthcare
What a Combined Pfizer and AstraZeneca Would Look Like, and Face
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It is not that common that you hear about mergers in the $50 billion range. But what about when you hear of mergers in the $80 billion or $100 billion range? AstraZeneca PLC (NYSE: AZN) is trading higher on Monday chatter that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) could acquire the company, for somewhere close to $101 billion.
Drug companies are not at all new to the world of mergers and acquisitions. In fact, most drug companies have made acquisitions along the way. What is different about this situation is that Pfizer is worth some $195 billion, while AstraZeneca is worth some $84 billion.
The reality is that, in the world of Big Pharma, anything is possible. They can acquire small or large biotech outfits over and over. Or they can pursue stock acquisitions.
One potential hurdle here is that Pfizer has already been in restructuring efforts of its own. It has done spin-offs and is molding its company into different units. This would only bring more restructuring efforts most likely, but again anything is possible.
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Media reports have Pfizer talking with AstraZeneca in the recent past, but without talks continuing. The real question is what this company would look like in a post-merger scenario — and what hurdles it would face. Pfizer also has cash parked overseas, and this would keep that money from being taxed at a penalty if repatriated. After all, AstraZeneca is U.K.-based.
Pfizer has been aggressive before. In 2000, it acquired Warner-Lambert. In 2003, Pfizer acquired Pharmacia. In 2009, it acquired Wyeth.
AstraZeneca’s key products include Crestor, Seloken/Toprol, Iressa, Faslodex, Zoladex, Pulmicort, Symbicort, Nexium and Seroquel. Pfizer’s key products include Lyrica, Prevnar, Enbrel, Celebrex, Lipitor, Viagra, Zyvox, Norvasc, Sutent and Premarin. Pfizer’s revenue in 2013 was more than $51.5 billion, basically twice that of AstraZeneca’s $25.7 billion (converted from pounds).
It would seem odd for Pfizer to take on a huge entity when it is in the midst of such a large restructuring of sorts on its own. This would only complicate matters, and it would only add more items that need to be restructured or spun off to fit into the company’s strategy. The other side of the argument is that Pfizer would be taking on yet an even larger solid drug portfolio.
The market does not seem to be against the notion of such a deal, but be warned that markets in Europe were mostly closed for Easter Monday. AstraZeneca saw its ADSs in New York up more than 6% at $67.50 in mid-afternoon trading on Monday. Pfizer shares were up 1.4% at $30.69 at the same time.
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