Serono ends talk of sale and looks to acquire

Published: 10-Apr-2006

Swiss biotech company Serono has ended discussions concerning the sale of the company. Its controlling shareholder, the Bertarelli family, said it felt the offers it had received did not meet expectations.


Swiss biotech company Serono has ended discussions concerning the sale of the company. Its controlling shareholder, the Bertarelli family, said it felt the offers it had received did not meet expectations.

Several major pharmaceutical multinationals, including Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, were rumoured to be interested the biotech company - a specialist in reproductive health, with strong market positions in neurology, metabolism and growth. With products such as Rebif, Gonal-f, Luveris, Ovidrel/Ovitrelle, Serostim, Saizen, Zorbtive and Raptiva, Serono achieved worldwide revenues of US$2,586.4m in 2005.

"Moving forward, Serono will invest in its existing businesses and will actively pursue opportunities for growth through acquisitions," said Ernesto Bertarelli, ceo.

To provide the financing capacity to pursue such a path, the board of directors will propose an increase in the authorised share capital of the company at a forthcoming annual shareholders meeting on April 25, 2006.

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