New owner for Novartis
July 22, 2014
By Tom Walker
Global pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly recently announced that it is purchasing Novartis Animal Health for $5.4 billion to strengthen its own animal health unit, Elanco.
Announced in April, the deal would make Elanco the second-largest animal health company in terms of global revenue and improves its European position.
With a presence in about 40 countries, Novartis Animal Health’s focus is on the prevention and treatment of disease in farmed fish, pets, and terrestrial farm animals. Lilly is buying Novartis Animal Health’s nine manufacturing sites, six research and development facilities, an international portfolio of approximately 600 products, 40 projects in development, and 3,000 employees.
Novartis has developed a suite of aquaculture products for several farmed fish species, including Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, sea bass, and tilapia. The deal allows Elanco to now compete in this market, selling treatment and prevention products that fight sea lice, salmon pancreas disease virus (SPDV); salmon rickettsial septicemia (SRS); Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV); and infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV).
John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., Lilly’s chairman, president and chief executive officer said that the acquisition of Novartis Animal Health validates Lilly’s commitment to Elanco as a key component of Lilly’s business going forward.
– Erich Luening
