The following statement was issued by Bayer Healthcare today:
Bayer HealthCare has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its equine products Legend®/Hyonate® (hyaluronate sodium) and Marquis® (ponazuril) to Merial, Inc.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter 2015 subject to customary conditions, including relevant merger control clearance.
“This transaction will allow our business to focus on innovation and growth in core segments for both companion and farm animals,” said Dr. Dirk Ehle, Head of Bayer HealthCare’s Animal Health Division. “These equine products have no strategic relevance for our business and represent less than two percent of our worldwide sales.”
Hyaluronate sodium, marketed worldwide for over two decades as Legend® or Hyonate®, is an injectable solution that treats noninfectious joint dysfunction in horses.
Marquis® (ponazuril) Antiprotozoal Oral Paste, marketed in North America for over a decade, treats equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a disease that affects the central nervous system in horses.
In a separate news release from Merial parent Sanofi, it was noted that the purchase “further broadens Merial’s portfolio of leading products that improve the health and performance of horses.
“Legend/Hyonate is primarily sold in the US and Canada, but is available in more than 40 countries with the UK and Japan as important markets.”
It continues, “Marquis is only sold in the US and Canada. Merial plans to make both products available to veterinarians in countries around the world. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.”
