Aug 31, 2011 - EMD Millipore acquires Amnis Corp

EMD Millipore announced it has agreed to acquire Seattle-based Amnis Corporation. Amnis designs, manufactures and markets high speed cell imaging instrumentation. The technology is used in flow cytometry applications in academic, biotech and pharmaceutical cell analysis and research. Amnis has 40 employees and generated sales of 14 million USD in 2010

Aug 17, 2011 - GE Healthcare to acquire PAA Laboratories

GE Healthcare announced it has reached an agreement to acquire PAA Laboratories, a developer and supplier of cell culture media for biomedical research and the fast-growing biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing industry. The acquisition of PAA Laboratories will allow GE Healthcare to expand its offering of products and services for cell biology research and for the discovery and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals including recombinant proteins, antibodies and vaccines. The strong strategic fit between the two businesses, combined with expanded capabilities in product development and marketing, will offer significant long-term customer benefits.

Jul 21, 2011 - Merck and Simcere sign agreement to establish pioneering China JV

Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, N.J., (NYSE:MRK), acting through an affiliate and known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and China's Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (NYSE:SCR, Simcere) announced the signing of a framework agreement to establish a joint venture focused on serving China's rapidly expanding health care needs by providing significantly improved access to quality medicines in major therapeutic areas.

Jul 21, 2011 - BMS to acquire Amira Pharmaceuticals

BMS and Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

Jul 20, 2011 - Pfizer to acquire Icagen

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Icagen, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICGN) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement. Pfizer, which currently owns approximately 11% of Icagen’s fully diluted shares, will acquire the remaining 8.3 million shares at a price of $6.00 per share. The aggregate transaction value, including the value of the shares currently owned by Pfizer, is approximately $56 million.

In 2007, Pfizer and Icagen entered into a worldwide collaboration for the discovery, development and commercialization of compounds that modify three specific sodium ion channels as new potential treatments for pain and related disorders. These sodium ion channels are important in the generation of electrical signals in nerve fibers that mediate the initiation, transmission and sensation of pain. By selectively targeting these sodium channels, the companies are seeking to develop effective treatments for serious pain disorders with fewer side effects.

Jul 19, 2011 - Roche acquires mtm laboratories AG

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that it has signed an agreement under which it will acquire 100 percent of mtm laboratories AG (mtm), a privately-held company based in Heidelberg, Germany. mtm is a global leader in developing in vitro diagnostics with a focus on early detection and diagnosis of cervical cancer, the largest early detection market in oncology. mtm will become part of Roche’s Tissue Diagnostics (Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.) business unit.

Jul 19, 2011 - Allergan to acquire Vicept Therapeutics

MALVERN, Pa. & IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vicept Therapeutics and Allergan, Inc. (NYSE:AGN) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Allergan to acquire all of the outstanding shares and assets of the privately-held dermatology company. The agreement, estimated to close in the third quarter of 2011, includes a $75 million cash up-front payment by Allergan plus up to an aggregate of $200 million in payments payable by Allergan contingent upon achieving certain future development and regulatory milestones plus additional payments contingent upon acquired products achieving certain sales milestones.

Jul 18, 2011 - Thermo Fisher Scientific acquires TREK Diagnostic Systems

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), the world leader in serving science, announced that it has acquired TREK Diagnostic Systems, a global provider of microbiology solutions, including blood culture, microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) products, from Magellan Biosciences. Based near Cleveland, Ohio, the company had full year revenue in 2010 of $34 million and has 150 employees.

Jul 15, 2011 - Valeant Pharmaceuticals agrees to acquire Ortho Dermatologics

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (NYSE: VRX and TSX: VRX) announced that Valeant's subsidiaries, Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC (VPNA) and Valeant International (Barbados) SRL (VIB), have signed an agreement to acquire the assets of the Ortho Dermatologics division of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Valeant will pay Janssen $345 million for the assets, which includes prescription brands RETIN-A MICRO®, ERTACZO®, and RENOVA®. Total revenue for the product portfolio was approximately $150 million in 2010. The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to be accretive in 2011.

Jul 14, 2011 - Top 20 pharmaceutical companies

Top 20 pharmaceutical companies - Contract Pharma July/August 2011