Health care M&A activity for 2010 remained strong, says Irving Levin

During 2010 and based on preliminary results, a total of 913 mergers and acquisitions were announced in 13 sectors of the health care industry, a 3% decrease from the 945 transactions announced in 2009. Based on prices revealed to date, a total of $206.5 billion was committed to finance the year’s 913 deals, according to a new report from Irving Levin Associates. This represents an 11% decrease from the $232.2 billion in 2009. In terms of dollars.

As also revealed in The Pharma Letter’s own annual survey of drug and biotech companies M&A activity (published January 13), year-over-year results in the pharmaceuticals sector are skewed by two mega-deals in 2009 worth a combined total of $109.1 billion: Pfizer’s $68.0 billion acquisition of Wyeth and Merck & Cos $41.1 billion merger with Schering-Plough. Controlling for these two deals, both announced just before the generational market bottom in March 2009, shows that the health care M&A market continues to climb out of the great recession with a full head of steam.

Thawing of credit facilitated the upsurge