Pharma: Astra Zeneca apparently considers $400 billion merger with US rival Bristol Myers Squibb
It would be one of the biggest mergers in business history. According to a media report, corresponding talks were held. However, it is still open whether there will be a merger.
Frankfurt. British pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca and US rival Bristol Myers Squibb have, according to insiders, held talks about a possible merger. This would create one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies with a combined stock market value of around $400 billion (approximately €345 billion), a person familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency on Monday.
It was initially unclear whether the talks were still ongoing. Astra Zeneca declined to comment, while Bristol Myers Squibb was initially unavailable for a statement.
The deal is likely to face significant antitrust hurdles. According to the insider, there are concerns about how the US competition authorities under the administration of US President Donald Trump might evaluate the transaction. Trump is focusing on domestic investments and the expansion of US production. In the event of a merger, a British company would effectively take over a large US pharmaceutical company.
In addition, the portfolios of both companies overlap significantly: both Astra Zeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb generate a large proportion of their sales with cancer medications, some of which directly compete with each other.
Translated by urgent.news. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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