Nycomed seeking buyer with $13.5B to spend

The Wall Street Journal quotes sources saying that Switzerland's Nycomed is shopping itself to potential buyers for up to $13.57 billion. The Journal says that Nycomed hired Goldman Sachs to help arrange talks with pharma companies that would be interested in acquiring the company. Other options on the table at Nycomed include a licensing deal for Daxas, an experimental therapy for lung disease, as well as a sale to outside investors through an IPO.

Nycomed has been looking to Daxas to help make up for sliding sales as its existing product portfolio comes up against generic competitors. The Swiss developer has a significant presence in the Russian market, notes the Journal, which could add to its allure among pharma companies looking to expand in emerging markets.

There's no immediate word regarding which pharma companies could make a bid for Nycomed. The biopharma industry has already undergone a tectonic market shift as major players like Roche, Pfizer and Merck have all announced huge acquisitions. The Journal's sources say that "most major pharmaceutical firms will likely take a look."

- read the report in the Wall Street Journal

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