The Big Picture
Vincent Boland: US regulator’s shot across bows of Amgen/Horizon deal leaves big pharma reeling
In an unusual move, the Federal Trade Commission is trying to block the acquisition of Dublin-based Horizon Therapeutics by US multi national Amgen, claiming it would enable the two companies to entrench a monopoly
When the US pharmaceutical company Amgen offered to buy Dublin-based Horizon Therapeutics in a $28 billion (€26bn) deal last December, the response was a collective shrug. The pharma industry thrives on mergers and acquisitions, and Amgen/Horizon was merely the latest. There was no reason why it might be blocked by regulators, who tended to wave through pharma deals.
The shrugging stopped last week. In a move that sent a shiver through the financial and corporate ...
