Novartis announces divestiture of its blood transfusion diagnostics unit to Grifols
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Novartis International AG /
Novartis announces divestiture of its blood transfusion diagnostics unit to
Grifols
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* Spain-based Grifols to acquire Novartis blood transfusion diagnostics unit
for USD 1.675 billion
* Divestiture further enhances Novartis focus on strategic businesses
Basel, November 11, 2013 - Novartis announced a definitive agreement to divest
its blood transfusion diagnostics unit to Grifols for USD 1.675 billion. This
transaction, requiring customary regulatory approvals, is expected to be
completed in the first half of 2014.
"The sale of the Novartis blood transfusion diagnostics unit enables us to focus
more sharply on our strategic businesses while providing Grifols with a platform
for global expansion," said Joseph Jimenez CEO of Novartis. "I am especially
pleased that the agreement with Grifols provides our associates with an
opportunity to join a company that will focus on growing this business
aggressively."
Acquired in 2006 as part of Chiron, the blood transfusion diagnostics unit has
formed part of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. The blood transfusion
diagnostics unit is dedicated to increasing transfusion safety worldwide with
nucleic acid testing, blood testing products and immunoassay reagents that
detect infectious disease. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, its net
sales in 2012 were approximately USD 565 million. Not included in the sale is
the Novartis companion diagnostics unit that is integrated into the
pharmaceuticals business, nor the Genoptix business, as these are closely linked
to the pharmaceuticals pipeline.
Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Grifols is the world's third largest producer
of plasma-derived therapies.
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified
by words such as "to divest," "to acquire," "strategic," "requiring customary
regulatory approvals," "expected," "opportunity," "will," "dedicated,"
"pipeline," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the
potential completion of the divestiture of the Novartis blood transfusion
diagnostics unit, or regarding potential future sales or earnings of the
Novartis Group and any potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities
as a result of the divestiture. You should not place undue reliance on these
statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and
expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to
significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove
incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the proposed
divestiture will be completed in the expected form or within the expected time
frame or at all. Nor can there be any guarantee that Novartis will be able to
realize any of the potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a
result of the divestiture. Neither can there be any guarantee that Novartis will
achieve any particular future financial results in the future. In particular,
management's expectations could be affected by, among other things, unexpected
regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, including an
unexpected failure to obtain necessary government approvals for the transaction,
or unexpected delays in obtaining such approvals; the potential that the
potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected from the
transaction may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected;
general economic and industry conditions, and other risks and factors referred
to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and
Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release
as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-
looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving
needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis
offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines,
eye care, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines and
diagnostic tools, over-the-counter and animal health products. Novartis is the
only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2012, the Group
achieved net sales of USD 56.7 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted
to approximately USD 9.3 billion (USD 9.1 billion excluding impairment and
amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 133,000
full-time-equivalent associates and operate in more than 140 countries around
the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow (at)Novartis at
http://twitter.com/novartis.
# # #
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investor.relations(at)novartis.com
Media release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/134323/R/1742082/585504.pdf
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Source: Novartis International AG via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1742082]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 11.11.2013 - 07:05 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 314743
Anzahl Zeichen: 7678
contact information:
Town:
Basel
Kategorie:
Business News
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