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| Novartis and GSK to exchange assets and launch joint venture | Novartis and GSK to exchange assets and launch joint venture |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, two of the world's leading drugmakers, have agreed to exchange assets and combine their consumer healthcare units. | |
| Novartis will acquire GSK's cancer drugs business for $16bn (£9.5bn) and sell its vaccines division, excluding the flu unit, to GSK for $7.1bn. | Novartis will acquire GSK's cancer drugs business for $16bn (£9.5bn) and sell its vaccines division, excluding the flu unit, to GSK for $7.1bn. |
| In a separate deal, Novartis has agreed to sell its animal health division to Lilly for nearly $5.4bn. | In a separate deal, Novartis has agreed to sell its animal health division to Lilly for nearly $5.4bn. |
| Novartis said the moves would help the firm focus on its key businesses. | Novartis said the moves would help the firm focus on its key businesses. |
| "The transactions mark a transformational moment for Novartis," Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis, said in a statement. | "The transactions mark a transformational moment for Novartis," Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis, said in a statement. |
| "They also improve our financial strength, and are expected to add to our growth rates and margins immediately." | "They also improve our financial strength, and are expected to add to our growth rates and margins immediately." |
| 'Build greater scale' | |
| The deals are a part of Novartis's review of its business as it continues to face sluggish growth. | |
| Novartis and GSK said that combining their over-the-counter (OTC) units would help boost the fortunes of both the companies. | |
| The combined unit will have annual revenues of £6.5bn. | |
| "Opportunities to build greater scale and combine high quality assets in vaccines and consumer healthcare are scarce," Andrew Witty, chief executive, of GSK, said in a statement. | |
| "With this transaction, we will substantially strengthen two of our core businesses and create significant new options to increase value for shareholders." | |
| GSK said the agreement with Novartis "significantly exceeds GSK's returns criteria" and the transaction "would increase overall GSK revenues by £1.3bn to £26.9bn". | |
| Glaxo shareholders will get a £4bn capital return from the deal proceeds, the firm said. |