It's a good time to be a specialty drugmaker--especially one looking to sell itself. And that's the position Arbor Pharmaceuticals is reportedly in right now.
The Atlanta, GA-based drugmaker is currently working with JPMorgan Chase on a potential sale that could fetch more than $1 billion, Reuters reported Thursday.
With Arbor would come a stable of products including high blood pressure treatment Edarbi, and narcolepsy and pediatric ADHD therapy Zenzedi, as well as a pipeline featuring candidates in the cardiovascular and gynecology areas, to name a couple.
If the past few months have been any indication, Arbor may not have trouble finding a suitor. Specialty pharmas have been the object of many a drugmaker's affection. Currently taking center stage in the deal space is a hostile bid from Valeant ($VRX)--which has made a practice of serially snapping up specialty companies--for dermatological and eye drug specialist Allergan ($AGN). And then there's Salix Pharmaceuticals ($SLXP), another specialty drugmaker that Allergan has been eyeing to help thwart Valeant's quest.
While much of the recent industry deal blitz has centered on transatlantic tax inversions, plenty of specialty companies have found new homes on their own sides of the pond. In January, Forest Labs--now part of Actavis ($ACT)--snatched Bridgewater, NJ-based Aptalis, a maker of treatments for cystic fibrosis and gastrointestinal disorder treatments, among other things. More recently, in July, Sweden's Meda agreed to fork over about $3 billion in cash and stock for Italian drugmaker Rottapharm.
- read the Reuters story
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