Top 10 Pharma–Deals: The Biggest Fusions of a 265 Billion Dollar Market

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Place 6 – Abbott Laboratories/Abbott/Abbvie – 66.6 billion dollars (2013/finalised)

The splitting up of Abbott Laboratories was no traditional takeover or fusion. On 1 January 2013, Abbott was divided into two mutually independent companies, Abbott and Abbvie. Abbott is a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories and retains the business areas medical technology and generic production. To this end, Abbott Laboratories split off around 66.6 billion dollars of its capital in shares. The business areas special medicines and biotechnology, including the arthritis medicine Humira, went to Abbvie.

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Place 5 – Pfizer/Wyeth – 68 billion dollars (2009/finalised)

For 68 billion dollars, the US American pharma company Pfizer bought the US rival Wyeth. At the time of purchase, both companies were counted among the 10 largest pharma companies in the world. The takeover, however, was also the subject of negative headlines, since, according to media reports, between 13,000 and 20,000 jobs were to be lost. Pfizer lost its leading position as the biggest pharma company in the world in 2012 to the Swiss pharma company Novartis.

Place 4 – American Home Products/Warner-Lambert – 76 billion dollars (1999/failed)

The fourth place among the biggest pharma deals goes to the first and only failed takeover in the Top 10. In 1999, the US firm American Home Products failed with a friendly takeover bid for Warner Lambert. This deal, long considered a certainty, was beaten in the final straight by a better hostile takeover bid from Pfizer (see Place 2 on the following page). American Home Products received at least a little comfort for the defeat from the penalty payment Of 1.8 billion dollars. American Home Products later operated under the new name Wyeth and was likewise taken over by Pfizer in 2009 (see Place 5).

Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, et al

Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies by Revenue

Place 3 – Glaxo Wellcome/Smith Kline Beecham – 79 billion dollars (2000/finalised)

For a total of 79 billion dollars, the two British pharma companies Glaxo Wellcome and Smith Kline Beecham fused at the beginning of the new millennium. The fusion was preceded by a comprehensive investigation by the competition authorities lasting 11 months.

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