Taisho Wraps BMS Consumer Health Acquisition; iAnthus Nabs CBD For Life; Health & Wellness M&A In Brief

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Japan’s largest over-the-drug company, has completed its $1.6bn acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s UPSA consumer health business, the firms announced at the start of July. Taisho, now the owner of such brands as Dafalgan and Efferalgan (pain relief) and Fervex (cold and flu), says it looks forward to “build[ing] upon UPSA’s approximately 80-year tradition and history of creating and promoting widely-known and valued brands,” with a stronger foothold in Europe and an expanded presence in developing markets in Southeast Asia, as well as Mexico. Meanwhile, New York-based BSM is freed up to focus resources on key priorities in “discovering, developing and delivering transformational medicines for patients facing serious diseases,” the firm says. Announced in December 2018, the deal makes Taisho the third-largest player in France’s self-medication market, ahead of such firms as Johnson & Johnson, Bayer AG, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLCand GSK-Novartis Consumer JV. (Also see "Japan's Taisho Establishes Global OTC Footprint With $1.6bn Acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb's UPSA" - HBW Insight, 20 December, 2018.)

Cannabis-focused iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc., which owns and operates licensed cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities throughout the United States, welcomes aboard CBD For Life, closing its $10.4m acquisition initially announced in March. CBD For Life, headquartered in Rumson, N.J., markets cannabidiol-infused topicals, tinctures and sprays for health and wellness, as well as topical skin-care formulas featuring the cannabinoid. According to the 28 June announcement, the company plans to launch a luxury skin-care line in the second half of 2019, and iAnthus aims to make all of its offerings more widely available to consumers, including through international distribution beginning in the 2019 fourth quarter