Valeant Again Raises Bid for Allergan

Canadian drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals has, once again, raised its offer to acquire Botox maker Allergan Inc.

The revised offer, issued Friday, now lifts the proposed deal value to about $53 billion, up from Wednesday’s bid of $50 billion. Valeant’s original bid, issued on April 22, was for $46 billion, which Allergan called too low.

A spokeswoman for the Irvine, Calif., company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest bid.

Under the terms of the most recent cash-and-stock proposal, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. said it would pay $72 a share and 0.83 of Valeant stock for the company. The cash offer is $23.70 higher than the April 22 bid.

Valeant retained a provision from its second offer related to future sales of a medication to treat an eye condition. The company would pay Allergan shareholders up to $25 a share based on a sales target of Darpin, a medication in early stages of development. The company said it would invest up to $400 million and retain Allergan employees to develop the drug.

“We believe our revised offer provides enormous value to both Valeant and Allergan shareholders,” said J. Michael Pearson, Valeant’s chief executive. “We are very committed to getting this deal done, and are now modifying our offer with the assistance of Pershing Square to increase the economics for all Allergan shareholders.”

Valeant recently teamed up with activist investor Bill Ackman in an attempt to take over Allergan.

Ackman, through his Pershing Square Capital Management, is Allergan’s largest shareholder, with a 9.7 percent stake.

In an apparent attempt to sweeten the deal, Ackman said he would choose to be paid solely in stock and would receive $20.75 less per share than other Allergan shareholders.

“We believe that our gesture to the other Allergan owners makes an extraordinarily strong statement about our belief in the long-term value of this highly strategic business combination,” Ackman said in a statement. “We look forward to the Allergan board immediately entering into negotiations with Valeant and finalizing this transaction.”

The back-and-forth is being carefully watched by Allergan’s 11,600 employees. Analysts have predicted that hundreds or thousands could be out of jobs if the deal goes through and Valeant slashes research-and-development funding as previously proposed.

The merger, if it goes through, would double the size of Valeant. It would become one of the largest specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world — and a giant in the eye care and skin care business.

Allergan’s biggest seller is Botox. It also sells a line of ophthalmic drugs, including Restasis, the only prescription drug approved to treat chronic dry eye.

This article appeared in print in the June 2nd, 2014 edition of Hamodia.