Amgen May Bid for Drugmaker Actelion
THOUSAND OAKS, California (
) --
Amgen
(AMGN) - Get Report
could approach Swiss drugmaker
Actelion
with a takeover offer this week,
Bloomberg
reports.
Amgen, the world's biggest biotechnology company, is considering a takeover offer for Actelion to gain new medicines for rare diseases,
Bloomberg
says, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.
Actelion learned recently of a potential bid from Amgen, and in a defensive move discussed asking
Roche Holding
,
Johnson & Johnson
(JNJ) - Get Report
and
Bristol-Myers Squibb
(BMY) - Get Report
to consider taking a minority stake, the people said.
Actelion is the world's biggest maker of pulmonary arterial hypertension drugs.
An Amgen spokesman declined to comment for
Bloomberg
on the company's potential bid. Actelion, meanwhile, said in a statement Wednesday that "as part of its ordinary course of business, the company is in regular dialogue with other industry participants."
Amgen hasn't made a final decision and a formal offer may not emerge, one of the people said,
Bloomberg
reports.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
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Joseph Woelfel
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