Novartis has come to an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb to purchase its US and Canadian Consumer Medicines business and related assets for $660 million. The transaction includes rights to the painkiller Excedrin and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter.
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The transaction includes rights to Excedrin, Keri, Comtrex, 4-Way, Bufferin, Vagistat, No-Doz and Mineral Ice in the US and Canada. The transaction also includes rights to the US over-the-counter (OTC) brands in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, limited rights to Moisturel and Lac-Hydrin in Canada, and rights to several dormant trademarks.
Net sales of these brands in the US and Canada were $242 million in 2004, on a normalized basis. Net sales of the US OTC brands in Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and Africa totaled $16 million in 2004.
Bristol-Myers Squibb will retain its local and regional consumer medicines businesses in its international markets. These businesses operate separately from the US and Canadian businesses, and, according to Bristol-Myers Squibb, will remain an important part of the company’s international pharmaceutical business. Manufacturing facilities are also excluded from the divestiture.