Rhone Poulenc Sa

Rhone-Poulenc SA, France's largest pharmaceuticals company, signed an agreement Monday to buy a majority interest in Ft. Washington, Pa.-based Rorer Group and merge its human drug business with Rorer to create one of the world's 10 largest drug companies. Analysts said the two-step transaction--including the issuance of special new rights to all Rorer shareholders--puts a value of $3.2 billion, or $73 a share, on the merger.

* France's Rhone-Poulenc and Germany's Hoechst are expected to announce a merger of their drug and agricultural-chemical businesses as early as Monday, sources told Reuters. The merger would create the world's largest "life sciences" group, with a combined stock market value of about $46.78 billion. American depositary receipts of Hoechst rose 25 cents to close at $44.63 and Rhone-Poulenc's rose $1.06 to close at $51.19 on the NYSE.

Rhone-Poulenc S.A., a giant French chemical firm, agreed on Thursday to acquire Rorer Group Inc., in a deal valuing the American drug company at $3.2 billion, the companies said. The newly combined company will be one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world. It will be led by Robert Cawthorn, who is Rorer's chairman, president and chief executive, the companies said.

The French parent of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer said it is considering a $4.3-billion offer to buy the remaining third of the U.S. drug maker and spin off its own chemicals and fibers business. The move, a sign that parent Rhone-Poulenc wants a larger share of the lucrative Collegeville, Pa., pharmaceutical company's profit, will be considered at the company's board meeting Wednesday. The companies have a "standstill" agreement that bars any acquisition until after the end of next month.

Merck & Co. and Rhone-Poulenc said they are combining their animal health businesses in a joint venture, creating the world's largest maker of medicines for pets and livestock. The venture, to be called Merial Animal Health, will have yearly sales of about $1.7 billion, leapfrogging Pfizer Inc.'s business to become the world leader in the $10.7-billion market.

ADM, Rhone-Poulenc Form Global Feed Venture: Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and France's Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition plan to create a global joint venture that will make supplements for animal feed. The venture is expected to generate annual sales of nearly $500 million. Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition is a unit of France's Rhone-Poulenc. The companies said the venture will manufacture premixes, which are blends of amino acids, vitamins, medicinal additives and trace elements, for adding to feed.

* France's Rhone-Poulenc and Germany's Hoechst are expected to announce a merger of their drug and agricultural-chemical businesses as early as Monday, sources told Reuters. The merger would create the world's largest "life sciences" group, with a combined stock market value of about $46.78 billion. American depositary receipts of Hoechst rose 25 cents to close at $44.63 and Rhone-Poulenc's rose $1.06 to close at $51.19 on the NYSE.

The French parent of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer said it is considering a $4.3-billion offer to buy the remaining third of the U.S. drug maker and spin off its own chemicals and fibers business. The move, a sign that parent Rhone-Poulenc wants a larger share of the lucrative Collegeville, Pa., pharmaceutical company's profit, will be considered at the company's board meeting Wednesday. The companies have a "standstill" agreement that bars any acquisition until after the end of next month.

The Danbury, Conn.-based chemical firm said it has reached a definitive agreement to sell the business to the U.S. subsidiary of Rhone-Poulenc S.A., a major French manufacturer of chemicals and pesticides, for $575 million in cash. The sale does not include the agricultural production facilities of Union Carbide India Ltd. Union Carbide said it does not expect to post any material gain or loss on its earnings statement as a result of the sale.

The French chemical and pharmaceutical giant Rhone-Poulenc SA said today it will slash 3,500 jobs from its Brazilian work force due to government austerity measures that are crimping business activity there. Voluntary layoffs are being conducted at the Sao Paolo-based Rhodia SA, which makes chemicals, fibers and medical products, a company spokeswoman said. "People that leave simply won't be replaced," she said.

Merck & Co. and Rhone-Poulenc said they are combining their animal health businesses in a joint venture, creating the world's largest maker of medicines for pets and livestock. The venture, to be called Merial Animal Health, will have yearly sales of about $1.7 billion, leapfrogging Pfizer Inc.'s business to become the world leader in the $10.7-billion market.

ADM, Rhone-Poulenc Form Global Feed Venture: Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and France's Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition plan to create a global joint venture that will make supplements for animal feed. The venture is expected to generate annual sales of nearly $500 million. Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition is a unit of France's Rhone-Poulenc. The companies said the venture will manufacture premixes, which are blends of amino acids, vitamins, medicinal additives and trace elements, for adding to feed.

Rhone-Poulenc SA, France's largest pharmaceuticals company, signed an agreement Monday to buy a majority interest in Ft. Washington, Pa.-based Rorer Group and merge its human drug business with Rorer to create one of the world's 10 largest drug companies. Analysts said the two-step transaction--including the issuance of special new rights to all Rorer shareholders--puts a value of $3.2 billion, or $73 a share, on the merger.

Rhone-Poulenc S.A., a giant French chemical firm, agreed on Thursday to acquire Rorer Group Inc., in a deal valuing the American drug company at $3.2 billion, the companies said. The newly combined company will be one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world. It will be led by Robert Cawthorn, who is Rorer's chairman, president and chief executive, the companies said.

Amgen Inc., the Thousand Oaks biotechnology firm, says encouraging test results have been obtained for a drug it is co-developing with a New York firm to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Results have been encouraging enough to begin a third-phase trial, said Amgen and its partner in the project, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Tarrytown, N.Y.

Eastman Kodak Co. said Wednesday that it will link up its pharmaceutical unit with France's Sanofi SA, in a deal that would create one of the world's top 20 drug companies. Sanofi and Sterling Drug, a unit of Rochester, N.Y.-based Kodak, will set up three joint ventures, opening the huge U.S. market to the French company and strengthening Sterling's presence in Europe. "Our great handicap is we are not present on the American market," Sanofi President Jean-Francois Dehe said.