Today, Dainippon Sumitomo and Sepracor (SEPR) have announced the successful completion of the initial share offering period, where almost 78.2% of Sepracor’s shares were tendered. The offer period has been extended to Oct 19, 2009, to enable other shareholders to tender their shares as well.  As a reminder, in September, the Japanese pharmaceutical company Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co had announced a deal to acquire Sepracor at $23 per share or $2.6 billion. However, soon after the announcement, shareholders of Sepracor filed a suit in a Delaware court against the company, citing the offered price as inadequate. They were seeking the court’s intervention to stop the deal and pay damages.  Additionally, certain aspects of the deal were against the interest of Sepracor’s shareholders. The deal included a $77.4 million termination fee and a “no solicitation" provision. Apart from restricting the possibility of any superior proposal, these provisions ...

Today morning, Japanese pharmaceutical company Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. confirmed that it signed a definitive agreement to buy U.S. pharmaceutical company Sepracor Inc. (SEPR). The deal has been valued at $23 per share or $2.6 billion.

The market was abuzz with rumors yesterday regarding the potential takeover. The rumors led to a 26.46% increase in Sepracor’s stock price. Trading was halted in the afternoon with Sepracor shares closing at $22.80.

This acquisition is the latest in a series of deals conducted by Japanese companies that are looking to tap the U.S. pharmaceutical market – the biggest in the world. Last year, we saw four such deals take place including Eisai’s acquisition of MGI Pharma, Takeda’s acquisition of Millennium Pharma and Shionogi’s acquisition of Sciele. Finally, Daiichi-Sankyo acquired a stake in India’s Ranbaxy Labs.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Sepracor will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma America

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Eli Lilly Q1 2009 EarningsThis morning Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) reported financial results for the first quarter 2009. Revenue came in at $5.05 billion, up 5% from the first quarter 2008 and slightly below our forecast of $5.0 billion.Revenue was negatively impacted by 6% due to foreign exchange, which was greater than our expectations. Sales in the U.S. grew 13% to $2.9 billion while international sales fell 4% to $2.2 billion due to the negative impact of foreign exchange.Strong sales of Cymbalta and Alimta, as well as better than anticipated sales of Zyprexa, were partially offset by weaker-than-expected sales of Gemzar and Diabetes Care products. Gemzar sales were negatively affected by generic competition in some international markets. Diabetes Care products sales appear to be hampered by patients cutting back on branded medicines or switching to lower-cost alternatives.EPS was $1.20 ...

Investors turn to the large drug company stocks for several reasons. They are considered recession proof, they are a play on the ageing of the baby boomers, and they are often considered safer and less volatile than most other stocks. Since dividends are so vital to many investors they days, the high yielding big pharmas are of interest. All of the following have yields over 2.5%, PE's below 20, and PEGs below 3.Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Its drugs include Lipitor, Norvasc Caduet, Chantix/Champix, Lyrica, Geodon/Zeldox, Aricept, Zoloft, Celebrex, Vfend, Zyvox, Viagra, Detrol, and Zyrtec, and for animals; Clavamox/Synulox, RespiSureOne/StellamuneOne, Bovi-Shield Gold, Dectomax, and Draxxin. The stock yields 7.5% It has a PE of 12.7 and a PEG of 2.12 .Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) Its drugs include PLAVIX, AVAPRO/AVALIDE, PRAVACHOL, COUMADIN, REYATAZ, SUSTIVA, BARACLUDE, ERBITUX, TAXOL, SPRYCEL, IXEMPRA, ABILIFY, ORENCIA, and EFFERALGAN. The ...

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Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) is a global healthcare company with core products in a number of primary-care pharmaceutical markets. The leading product is Zyprexa, a treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The company's other leading drugs include Gemzar (pancreatic cancer), Evista (osteoporosis), Cymbalta (depression), Byetta (type-II diabetes), Cialis (erectile dysfunction), Strattera (ADHD), and Alimta (chemotherapy).The company is entering a challenging period, brought about by recent pipeline disappointments, most notably uncertainty surrounding antiplatelet drug Prasugrel. Although we believe the underlying fundamentals of the company remain solid, the recent pipeline setbacks and lack of clarity surrounding prasugrel will likely limit the upside to the stock. We also believe that sales of Zyprexa will begin to decline in 2008 as generic Risperdal eats into market share. We see little movement in the stock until the above issues are addressed. We rate the shares a Hold with ...

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co.Â’s (LLY) leading product is Zyprexa, a treatment for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Zypadhera, the trade name in Europe for the long-acting formula of Zyprexa, was recommended for approval by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use in September. We expect to hear back from E.U. regulators within the next few months.

In April and September, Alimta received approval in combination with cisplatin in the E.U. and U.S. for first-line treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. According to the management, the drug currently holds 20% market share in the second-line indication.

We also expect Lilly to follow the approval of Cymbalta with the launch of a DTC campaign for the fibromyalgia indication, which should help to extend the very strong sales growth of the drug.

Although we believe the underlying fundamentals of the company remain solid, the recent pipeline setbacks and lack of clarity surrounding antiplatelet

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