I'm not saying we are on the T/Over list.....but maybe??? why not?
Sanofi eyes vet, medtech; not chasing BMS Thu Mar 5, 2009 10:42am EST By Ransdell Pierson
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will look beyond conventional medicine to animal health and certain medical devices as it diversifies and builds a global healthcare business, its chief executive said on Thursday.
Chris Viehbacher played down suggestions he might do a mega-deal, adding the company already had a great partnership deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMS) (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).
There has been speculation Sanofi could follow Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) lead in buying Wyeth (WYE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) by acquiring its smaller U.S. partner BMS, but Viehbacher said a big acquisition was "not fundamentally a great idea."
"Never say never but don't hold your breath either," he told Reuters, when asked about the possibility of a mega-merger.
Instead, Sanofi would focus on small to mid-sized deals in a range of areas.
These could include vaccines, over-the-counter medicines and generics -- areas already highlighted by the French group last month -- as well as animal health and medical technology.
"I want to find ways to grow through the patent cliff of 2012," Viehbacher said. "We have elements to do it. We have growth platforms ... they lend themselves for bolt-on acquisitions."
Viehbacher said he would look at animal health assets that Pfizer and Wyeth are expected to be obliged to divest as a way to build up Sanofi's Merial business.
He is also "curious" about expanding into certain medical device areas, although not products that are implanted into the body.
Such non-implantable devices could include products for sleep apnea and airways management, as well as healthcare home monitoring equipment.
Viehbacher said he was currently busy reviewing the company's pipeline of experimental drugs and would detail a pruned list of new medicines offering the best investment prospects on April 30.
Among the potential new product stars would be heart drug Multaq, a novel cancer drug developed with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (REGN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and a vaccine against dengue fever that he said could have blockbuster sales potential.
Viehbacher added that the appointment of a new chief financial officer at the Paris-based group was "imminent."
(Additional reporting by Caroline Jacobs in Paris; writing by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Cowell)
