£106bn Record-Breaking Pharmaceutical Deal
It has now been confirmed that US pharmaceutical company Pfizer will be buying Allergan, the manufacturers of brands such as Botox and Juvederm, for $160bn (£106bn).
This is breaking all previous records as the biggest pharmaceuticals deal ever, making the merged company the world’s biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer in terms of turnover.
Pfizer shareholders will receive one share for each of their shares in that company while Allergan shareholders will receive 11.3 shares in the new company for each of their Allergan shares in a deal which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016.
Shares in both companies dropped slightly on the announcement with Pfizer down 2.7% in New York at $31.32 and Allergan down 3.4% to $301.70.
Pfizer Corporate Tax Benefits
Critics have been quick to observe that the takeover could allow Pfizer to escape high US corporate tax rates by moving their headquarters to Allergan’s Dublin base.
The terms of the deal propose that the merged company will maintain Allergan’s Irish base, which means corporation tax of 12.5% instead of the 35% Pfizer pays in the USA.
Hillary Clinton called on Washington to ensure that the biggest companies “pay their fair share” while Donald Trump described Pfizer’s departure from the US as “disgusting”, adding: “Our politicians should be ashamed.”
As well as the corporate tax benefits, Pfizer expects the merger to deliver savings of $2bn in the first 3 years.
Pfizer boss Ian Read will be chief executive and chairman of the merged company. He commented:
“The proposed combination of Pfizer and Allergan will create a leading global pharmaceutical company with the strength to research, discover and deliver more medicines and more therapies to more people around the world”
Allergan boss Brent Saunders said:
“This bold action is the next chapter in the successful transformation of Allergan, allowing us to operate with greater resources at a much bigger scale.”
Ketan Patel, at EdenTree Investment Management, said:
“The pharmaceutical sector, which has had over $220bn of deals in the first half of 2015 alone, will be buoyed further by the proposed purchase of Allergan by Pfizer, the largest pharma deal ever at $160 billion, surpassing the $116 billion Pfizer paid for Warner Lambert in 2000. The deal is also the biggest [tax] inversion deal.”
SkinViva Training and Allergan
SkinViva Training work closely with Allergan in the UK and are one of 30 companies to be part of Allergan’s elite training academy, as well as working together with Allergan representatives to build the consumer business SkinViva.
We will therefore bring you further news of this key development in the cosmetic treatments industry as it becomes available.
Cosmetic Treatments Training
Botox and Fillers Courses, Manchester
SkinViva Training Academy offers a comprehensive range of botox and fillers training courses designed for medical professionals such as suitably qualified and registered medical professionals who wish to learn and build on their skills in delivering these procedures.
SkinViva Training was established by Dr Tim Pearce MBChB BSc (Hons) MRCGP. The SkinViva Training team upholds high standards of clinical training providing a combination of fully-supervised practical experience together with essential theory.
For further information, to discuss which course is right for you, to enquire about availability or to book a training course please call 0161 850 2491, or email info@skinvivatraining.com.