Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, the leading UK supplier of liquid oral medicines, has been acquired by US company Perrigo.

The merger will enable Perrigo, a major supplier of over the counter (OTC) products, to add a range of liquid-form drugs to its generic prescription drugs portfolio.

Leeds-based firm Rosemont, sold for £180m, has seen its business grow dramatically in recent years due to the ageing population.

Its liquid formulation versions of widely-prescribed drugs such as metformin target paediatric patients and people suffering from dysphagia (which affects many elderly patients), with net sales of £40m in 2012.

Perrigo will benefit from the UK firm’s niche market, an area of critical medical need with demographic factors driving an increase in its size; and from the opportunity to expand its range of generic prescription medicines in the UK and Europe.

Joseph C. Papa, CEO of Perrigo, said: “We continue to focus on expanding our international footprint and view the acquisition of Rosemont as an opportunistic next step given our existing presence in the UK.

“Similar to Perrigo’s position in the niche US extended topical generic prescription market, Rosemont is the number 1 player in the niche specialty UK oral liquid formulations market.

“This transaction represents another step forward executing our strategy to make quality healthcare products more affordable for consumers around the world.”

Based in Michigan, Perrigo is the world’s largest manufacturer of OTC pharmaceuticals for the store brand market, as well a major supplier of generic prescription drugs.

Takeda Pharmaceutical will acquire Brazilian pharmaceutical company Multilab Industria for $246m in cash, plus up to $20m in future milestone payments.

The acquisition shows the Japanese company’s growing interest in high-growth emerging markets.

Last year Takeda bought Swiss company Nycomed for $13.7bn, boosting its access to European and emerging markets.

Earlier this year it purchased US company URL for $800m.

Multilab is a mid-sized pharmaceutical company selling branded generics and OTC drugs, with an annual revenue in 2011 of $69m.

Among the products Takeda will gain is Brazil’s leading OTC cold and flu medication, Multigrip.

The acquisition, expected to close by the end of September, will place Takeda among Brazil’s top 10 pharma companies.

“This acquisition significantly reinforces Takeda’s position in Brazil, which is the world’s sixth largest economy,” said Jostein Davidsen, Corporate Officer, Head of Emerging Markets Commercial Operations at Takeda.

“Takeda has ambitious plans for growth in emerging markets. Brazil is our second largest emerging market after Russia/CIS and the acquisition of Multilab is a clear signal of our intention to become a significant player both in Brazil and other high-growth markets.”

US biopharma corporation Amgen has signed a merger agreement to acquire German biotech company Micromet for $1.16 billion.

The deal will bring Amgen a new leukaemia drug and the BiTE drug development technology, potentially applicable to a range of blood cancers.

Micromet’s Munich site will become an Amgen R&D facility.

Amgen will gain the rights to:

• the Bispecific T cell Engager (BiTE) antibody technology, a validated platform for drug development in oncology

• blinatumomab, a BiTE antibody in Phase 2 development for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in early development for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)

• solitomab, a BiTE antibody in Phase 1 development for treatment of advanced solid tumours.

“The acquisition of Micromet is an opportunity to acquire an innovative oncology asset with global rights and a validated technology platform with broad potential clinical applications,” said Kevin Sharer, CEO of Amgen.

“Blinatumomab will serve as an important complement to our oncology pipeline and is representative of our corporate strategy, which is focused on developing and successfully commercialising therapeutics to treat patients with grievous illness.”

Christian Itin, CEO of Micromet, commented: “Amgen's extensive resources and experience in the development and commercialisation of biologics promise to speed blinatumomab's path to market, expand its development across a broader range of B-cell malignancies and maximise the full potential of our novel BiTE technology.”

Bristol-Myers Squibb has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire biopharmaceutical company Inhibitex, Inc. in a cash deal worth approximately $2.5 billion.

The transaction has been approved by both boards and includes Inhibitex’ lead hepatitis C virus (HCV) product, INX-189, an oral nucleotide polymerase (NS5B) inhibitor.

Lamberto Andreotti, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, says the deal “represents an important investment in the long-term growth of the company”.

Inibitex is a clinical stage biopharma company whose primary focus is on the development of nucleotide/nucleoside analogs for the treatment of HCV.

INX-189 is currently in Phase II development and has exhibited potent antiviral activity, a high barrier to resistance and pan-genotypic coverage.

“This transaction puts INX-189 and the Company’s other infectious disease assets in the hands of an organisation that can more optimally develop them and which believes as strongly as we do in INX-189’s potential in the treatment of chronic HCV,” said Russell Plumb, President and Chief Executive Officer of Inhibitex.

“Bristol-Myers Squibb’s expertise in antiviral drug development, and its existing complementary portfolio, will assure that the potential of INX-189 is realised as part of future oral combination therapies for millions of patients in need around the world.”

BMS says it will finance the acquisition through existing cash resources.

Takeda America Holdings, the US subsidiary of Japanese pharma giant Takeda, is to acquire biotechnology company Intellikine for $190m upfront and up to $120m in clinical development milestone payments.

US company Intellikine specialises in developing small-molecule kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, and the deal will add two new compounds to Takeda’s oncology pipeline.

Since its formation in 2007, Intellikine has raised $41m from investors including Novartis Venture Funds and Biogen Idec.

Intellikine’s drug candidate INK128, an mTORC1/2 inhibitor, is expected to enter Phase II studies in 2012; while its INK1117, a PI3Ka inhibitor, entered clinical testing in September 2011.

Both drugs will be developed by Millennium, Takeda's business unit for global oncology strategy and development.

“INK128 and INK1117 are potential best-in-class inhibitors of critical pathways driving cancer cell growth,” said Deborah Dunsire, CEO of Millennium. “As single agents or in different combinations with novel molecules within our robust pipeline, we anticipate that these assets will be able to deliver transforming therapies to cancer patients.”

Troy Wilson, CEO of Intellikine, commented: “Intellikine has advanced three programs against the PI3K/mTOR pathway into human clinical testing in just four years. We are pleased that Takeda recognises the potential of our clinical-stage programs as well as our strong pipeline and discovery engine.”

The transaction is expected to be finalised in January 2012.

Between 1,000 and 1,500 jobs are expected to be lost at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries as part of the company’s cost-cutting measures.

Reports from Israel claim the majority of the layoffs will be made in the US and Europe and mainly focused in Teva’s recently acquired Cephalon’s generic business.

The reports say that Teva is hoping to raise $500 million in synergies from its takeover with job losses expected to raise the majority of its target.

Teva has already said it is planning to cut sales, marketing and administrative expenses by $300 million, R&D by between $120 million and $150 million, and production costs by $50 million to $80 million. R&D savings would be achieved by cutting duplicate operations, the company said.

Teva has a history of job losses following takeovers of generic companies. In 2008 it bought US generic specialist Barr and reduced its workforce by 10%, reports say.

A reduction of 1,000 jobs at Cephalon would represent a loss of 27% roles before the takeover. But one company where job losses will be made, the reports say, is at Mepha, the Swiss generics manufacturer Cephalon bought last year. The company had 620 jobs prior to the acquisition.

The European Commission (EC) has authorised DuoCort Pharma’s Plenadren (hydrocortisone) to be marketed in the EU for the treatment of adrenal insufficiency.

The dual release hormone replacement therapy is the first pharmaceutical innovation in over 50 years for adults suffering from adrenal insufficiency, or cortisol deficiency.

Professor Gudmundur Johannsson, Chief Medical Officer at DuoCort Pharma, said: “Plenadren offers a welcome new treatment option to help patients suffering from adrenal insufficiency. It can improve therapy for many of the almost 200,000 patients in Europe who suffer from this disease and who need lifelong cortisol replacement therapy for their survival.”

The once-daily tablet is designed to imitate the normal physiological cortisol profile, with an outer layer that releases hydrocortisone immediately into the bloodstream and an inner core releasing the rest of the medicine gradually throughout the day.

Although glucocorticoid replacement therapy for adrenal insufficiency has been available for decades, complications have been linked to the medication, including premature death, impaired quality of life, increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, and decreased bone mineral density.

Adrenal insufficiency (cortisol deficiency) is a rare, life-threatening disease that affects patients in their active years. Patients require lifelong replacement therapy with hydrocortisone, the synthetic form of cortisol, replacing or substituting the hormones that the patient's adrenal glands are not producing.

DuoCort Pharma provides drug development with a focus on improving glucocorticoid therapy. The company is currently being absorbed by ViroPharma, who acquired the pharmaceutical company for an upfront payment of $33 million dollars in October.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has created several new positions as part of its “Transformation into a New Takeda”, restructuring the company’s business operations.

The new roles include Chief Medical and Scientific Officer (CMSO) and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

The CMSO is set to replace the existing post of Chief Scientific Officer, to be filled by board member Dr Tadataka Yamada, a medical doctor and scientist with strong experience in pharmaceutical R&D.

The CCO will be responsible for the company’s global sales structure, replacing existing positions in International Operations in the US, Europe and North Asia.

Takeda’s Chief Executive Dr Frank Morich will claim this position, who will lead sales strategies in the US, EU and key emerging markets.

The restructuring of the company is said to relect Takeda’s recent acquisition of Nycomed, which the firm described as “another significant step towards globalisation”.

Takeda fully acquired Nycomed in October in a cash deal worth €9.6 million.

West Midlands home care specialist Salts Healthcare has acquired Healthlink, a Dispensing Appliance Contractor (DAC) covering Sussex, Hampshire, Kent and Surrey.

The acquisition will enable Salts to make its UK customer service network fully national, increasing its number of care centres to 17.

Sussex-based Healthlink has been run for 30 years by its founder and owner Liz Box, who is due to retire.

Family-owned Salts Healthcare, established over 300 years ago, specialises in stoma and continence care products.

The company’s home delivery service, Salts Medilink, provides specialist nurses and rapid prescription delivery via a network of customer care centres.

According to Peter Salt, Salts Healthcare’s Managing Director, the company “provides a vital service to ostomy and continence patients throughout the UK”. He added: “That passion to provide the very best service is found across the Healthlink team, and it’s that same quality of care and professional principles that attracted us.”

“This is a new chapter for both me and the company, and I’m delighted that my work will be continued with the same passion by Salts Healthcare,” said Liz Box. “As a family-owned firm, I know that Salts will look after my company, my staff and most importantly the patients.”

For Salts Healthcare, the last year has seen new product launches, significant export growth and the acquisition of UCI Healthcare.

Philip Salt, CEO, (pictured above with Liz Box and Peter Salt), commented: “Our early history shows we were originally metal workers who progressed to surgical instruments. This adaptation was borne out of our home-made but specialist skills and the desire to innovate. The same principles apply now, especially in a global economy with pressures for cheaper products coming from across the world.”

Sales increased more than 10% at Sanofi in the third quarter to €8.7 billion, despite the loss of €471 million due to generic competition compared to the same period a year ago.

Total sales grew 10.1% along with an 11% increase in growth platforms after strong performances in its diabetes, vaccines and consumer health divisions.

Christopher A. Viehbacher, Sanofi CEO, says the return to growth in sales and earnings is an “important milestone as the company progressively puts the patent cliff behind it”.

Growth platforms and Genzyme accounted for 68.5% of total sales after the recently acquired business recorded sales up 6.9% to €768 million.

Pharmaceutical net sales were up a tenth to €6.9 billion and helped year-to-date net sales rise 5.5% to €20 billion, despite generic competition to Lovenox, Ambien CR and Taxotere in the US and Plavix (pictured) and Taxotere in the EU plus the impact of US healthcare reform and EU austerity measures.

Its diabetes division was driven by a strong US and Emerging Markets performance which resulted in a 12.4% increase in sales after Lantus recorded growth of 14.6% and 23.4%, in respective markets. Growth in Sanofi’s vaccine division also increased 16.7% after a solid demand for seasonal flu medication in the US.

The Sanofi Group now expects 2011 business net income to be between 2%-5% lower than last year’s total. “We continue to make strong progress in R&D with the submission of five new products and also in the tight control of our costs,” said Mr Viehbacher.

It was reported this week that Sanofi is set to overtake Pfizer as the world’s biggest pharmaceutical company by 2016.

Submissions have been recently filed for Lyxumia (lixisenatide) in the EU, Aubagio (teriflunomide) and Zaltrap (aflibercept) in the US; Visamerin/Mulsevo (semuloparin) in the US and EU; plus Kynamro (mipomersen) in the EU.

The company released its Q3 performance on the day it announced it was cutting jobs in its US R&D and sales divisions.