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US: Novartis gives up nicotine patch for merger

By  |  November 26, 2014

The US Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that pharmaceutical giant Novartis offered to divest its nicotine patch Habitrol to secure clearance for a joint venture.

Reports say Novartis offered the concessions to reduce competition concerns over its proposed partnership with UK-based GlaxoSmithKline. The agreement would see Novartis acquiring Glaxo’s oncology drugs portfolio, while Glaxo would take on Novartis’s non-flu vaccines operations.

But according to reports, the two conglomerates are among just three companies that sell nicotine patches to US retailers. Reports did not indicate whether the FTC will accept the concessions offered, however.

Full content: Reuters

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