OTC14-10-11p1.qxd 11/10/11 09:36 Page 1 14 October 2011 COMPANY NEWS 3 Japan’s Santen 3 J&J gains full control to buy Novagali EU approves P&G’s deal with Teva 3 Futura Medical on brink 4 of first product launches of OTC joint venture Actavis plots expansion 5 in Poland’s OTC market Celesio ends Medco joint venture 5 ohnson & Johnson has taken full control Ending the joint venture also provided great- Jof its consumer healthcare joint venture er freedom to operate in the OTC market, added Valeant’s new Afexa bid 6 tops Paladin Labs’ offer with Merck & Co in Canada and the US. Merck, allowing it to “fully exploit its pipeline Perrigo lays out global 7 The firm has paid US$175 million (C205 of prescription-to-OTC switches as well as ac- expansion plans million) for Merck’s 50% stake in the Johnson tively pursue OTC licensing activities in the McNeil considers next step 8 & Johnson/Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals US and Canada”. after Motrin lawsuit defeat joint venture, which markets a range of OTC Set up in 1989 to develop, manufacture, mar- brands, primarily for digestive health. ket and distribute certain OTC products from GENERAL NEWS 9 Merck’s portfolio of prescription brands,the Pursue OTC licensing activities joint venture was Merck’s only presence in the Saw palmetto no better 9 Merck said that the deal allowed it to “fully OTC market prior to the Schering-Plough deal. than placebo focus on building the long-term growth pros- Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson pointed out Turkey looks to abolish 10 pects” of its consumer healthcare business, that the deal gave its McNeil subsidiary exclu- its borderline category which was gained in 2009 when it acquired sive rights to the Mylanta, Mylicon and OTC Retail consolidation 10 Schering-Plough (OTC bulletin,16 Novem- Pepcid brands in the US, as well as 222, Fleet continues in Russia ber 2009, page 3). ■ Continued on page 15 Study links diclofenac 11 with heart attack Spain’s medicines agency 12 becomes autonomous body Beiersdorf recruits German committee MARKETING NEWS 13 Hero man as chief rejects pack curbs Aspirin drink heats up 13 German cold remedies eiersdorf has recruited Stefan Heidenre- proposal to restrict the maximum non-pre- It’s time to visit the 14 Bich – chief executive officer of the baby Ascription pack sizes of popular analgesics OTC Awards website food and jams manufacturer Hero Group – as to four days’ treatment has been rejected by the Pfizer extends Centrum with 15 its next chief executive officer. country’s Expert Committee for Prescription. Pregnancy Care line Heidenreich will take over from Thomas During an extraordinary meeting held on Quaas in April 2012. The German company 27 September,amajority of committee mem- FEATURES 17 noted that Quaas was stepping down as chief bers voted against introducing a restriction on Everyone’s talking about 17 executive officer after seven years in charge, the pack sizes for acetylsalicylic acid, diclo- switching – Switching was a but would remain a member of the supervi- fenac and ibuprofen, as well as for naproxen, hot topic as the leading global sory board. phenazone and propyphenazone (OTC bullet- OTC players reported their Beiersdorf said that Heidenreich, 48, would in,18 August 2011, page 1). financial results leave his current post on 31 December 2011, The committee’s recommendation will now Devising OTC strategies 20 and join its executive board on 1 January 2012. be forwarded to Germany’s ministry of health for devices – A look at the He will take charge of the company following for further consideration. pros and cons of registering its annual general meeting on 26 April 2012. An earlier proposal to reverse-switch para- OTC products as medical devices in Europe Professor Reinhard Pöllath – chairman of cetamol from non-prescription to prescription- Beiersdorf’s supervisory board – pointed out only status was removed from the agenda for REGULARS that Heidenreich had 15 years of experience in the committee’s July meeting, after Germany’s leading an international branded goods com- federal institute for drugs and medical devices, Events – Our regular listing 16 pany and had transformed Hero from a small BfArM, decided to conduct a thorough review People – Takeda places Morich 23 firm competing with larger competitors to an of all analgesic ingredients (OTC bulletin,29 in charge of Nycomed ■ Continued on page 14 July 2011, page 16). OTC14-10-11p2-3FIN.qxd 11/10/11 09:38 Page 2 OTC14-10-11p2-3FIN.qxd 11/10/11 09:38 Page 3 COMPANY NEWS OTC Mergers & Acquisitions Japan’s Santen to buy Novagali Pharma apan’s Santen Pharmaceutical is set to ac- however, is its Cationorm non-prescription treat- Jquire the French ophthalmology specialist ment for dry-eye symptoms. Novagali Pharma in a deal that values Novagali As of 31 December 2010, Cationorm had at around C100 million. been introduced by marketing partners in 10 Akira Kurokawa,Santen’s president and countries around the world, Novagali pointed chief executive officer,said that the deal would out, adding that earlier this year the company strengthen the ophthalmic-products company’s had signed an exclusive distribution agreement global business platform. This was one of San- for Canada and the US with Ardeo. ten’s long-term strategic aims, included in its In 2010, Cationorm had generated sales of business plan for 2020 as well as in its med- C0.6 million, Novagali pointed out, noting that ium-term management plan for 2011-2013. the brand’s turnover in the first half of 2011 Founded in 2000, Novagali develops and had been C0.4 million. Santen will gain Novagali’s Cationorm OTC brand for commercialises products for various eye con- Aside from Cationorm, the company’s pipe- dry-eye symptoms ditions. Its only commercially-available product, line includes products for treating severe dry- eye symptoms, chronic allergies, glaucoma, ret- pany noted, its offer per share would be in- inopathies and diabetic macular oedema. creased to C6.25. OTC bulletin Under the terms of the deal, Santen – which Based in Osaka, Japan, Santen reported sales has already secured agreements to acquire a of ¥111 billion (C1.09 billion) in the year end- 14 October 2011 Number 370 50.55% stake in Novagali – has launched a ed 31 March 2010 from its portfolio of ophthal- C6.15 per share tender offer to buy the remain- mic prescription and OTC medicines and med- Editor & Publisher: Deborah Wilkes ing 49.45% of the French firm’s stock, which ical devices. Associate Editors: Aidan Fry is in free float on the NYSE Euronext market. Santen’s range of OTC products, marketed Mike Rice If by the end of the tender process, Santen under the Sante brand name, accounted for 4.7% Business Editor: Matt Stewart had acquired 95% of Novagali’s stock, the com- or ¥5.2 billion of the company’s total sales. Assistant Editors: Jenna Lawrence OTC David Wallace Advertising Controller: Debi Minal Mergers & Acquisitions Marketing Manager: Val Davis Editorial, Subscription and Advertising EU approves P&G’s deal with Teva enquiries should be addressed to: OTC bulletin, OTC Publications Ltd, 54 Creynolds Lane, Solihull, he European Commission has approved combine the two companies’ OTC operations West Midlands B90 4ER, UK. T Procter & Gamble’s acquisition of “impor- in all markets outside of North America and Tel: +44 1564 777550. Fax: +44 1564 777524. tant parts” of generics giant Teva Pharmaceuti- will have annual sales of more than US$1 bil- E-mail: [email protected]. cal Industries’ OTC business, as the consumer lion (C 747 million) on formation. Subscriptions healthcare partnership between the two firms The Israeli firm believes this could rise to Annual subscriptions to OTC bulletin in Europe are £625.00 for single copies and £355.00 for additional copies to the same ad- starts to take shape. become US$4 billion within a few years. dress, including delivery. Subscriptions to addresses outside Eur- There had been some concern over the Teva will assume global manufacturing re- ope are subject to an additional charge of £30.00 to cover postage. Subscription enquiries in Korea should be directed to Pharma deal’s impact on competition, particularly in sponsibility for both the joint venture and Proc- Koreana Ltd, 14th Floor,KTB Network Building, 826-14 Yeoksam- the Dutch OTC laxatives market and the Aus- ter & Gamble’s North American business. dong, Kangnam-gu, Seoul 135-080, Korea (Tel: +82 2 554 9591; Fax: +82 2 563 8289; E-mail: [email protected]). trian OTC antitussives category,according to Advertising the Commission. Reshape global OTC market Advertising rates and data are available on request from the ad- However, despite the merged entity having Announcing the deal in March, Shlomo Yani, dress above or at www.otc-bulletin.com. About OTC bulletin a high market share in some market segments, Teva’s president and chief executive officer,in- OTC bulletin is published 20 times a year by OTC Publications the Commission concluded it would “face suf- sisted the partnership had the “potential to re- Limited: twice monthly in February,March, April, May,June, Sep- tember,October and November; and monthly in December,Jan- ficient competition in the markets concerned”. shape the entire global OTC market”. Teva uary,July and August. A subscription to OTC bulletin includes would deliver the world’s largest portfolio of the weekly electronic newsflash, news@OTCbulletin,which is published around 45 times a year. OTC bulletin is printed by the Wider OTC partnership medicines as well as bring extensive expertise Warwick Printing Company Limited, Caswell Road, Leamington The deal forms part of a wider agreement in developing, registering and making those Spa CV31 1QD, UK.