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A deal by Schering-Plough moves the drug firm into two new treatment areas, the central nervous system and women’s health, and bolsters its late-stage pipeline of experimental medicines.
The agreement requires Schering-Plough to sell off several animal vaccines and medicines to win EU approval to acquire Organon Biosciences, the human medicines drug unit of Dutch-based Akzo Nobel.
The European Commission (EC) said it had cleared the deal but its approval is based on Schering-Plough selling off more than 20 drugs and trademarks for veterinary drugs in Europe.
The EC said it did not see anti-trust problems with Schering-Plough’s acquisition of Organon’s human drugs.
The company will now have to sell off vaccines for swine Escherichia coli, equine influenza and tetanus, ruminant neonatal diarrhoea, ruminant clostridia and multi-species rabies.
It must also dispose of animal medicines including endocrines for reproductive use, insulin, antibiotics and sulfonamides, antibiotics for intra-mammary mastitis treatment, and anti-inflammatories.
The EC said in a statement: “In all the markets where the Commission identified competition concerns the transaction would lead to very high combined market shares or even a monopoly situation.”
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