US FTC requires divestitures for Endo buy of Par to proceed

Pharmaceutical companies Ireland-headquartered Endo International (Nasdaq: ENDP) and privately-held Par Pharmaceutical have agreed to divest all of Endo’s rights and assets to generic glycopyrrolate tablets and generic methimazole tablets in order to settle US Federal Trade Commission charges that the proposed $8 billion acquisition (The Pharma Letter June 18) would be anticompetitive.

New Jersey-based generic drug marketer Rising Pharmaceuticals will acquire the divested assets. Under the proposed settlement, Endo must supply Rising with the divested products for two years, while it transfers the manufacturing technology to Rising’s chosen third-party manufacturer, says the FTC. Endo also must provide technical assistance, training, and other transitional services to help Rising establish manufacturing capabilities.

Two most significant suppliers of methimazole