Jefferies analyst David Steinberg believes the M&A wave in the Pharmaceuticals space that began in 2005 can continue as the key drivers remain largely intact. In a note titled "Who is Next? The Feeding Frenzy in Specialty Pharmaceuticals," Steinberg sees deals continuing amid cheap debt, the push for lower corporate taxes and investors rewarding many acquirers for their transactions. He points out there are now around 100 publicly traded Specialty Pharmaceutical companies following the recent life sciences IPO boom. Potential takeover targets, according to Steinberg, include Valeant (VRX), Shire (SHPG), Perrigo (PRGO), Zoetis (ZTS), Mallinckrodt (MNK), Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ), United Therapeutics (UTHR), Pacira (PCRX), Indivior, Insys Therapeutics (INSY), The Medicines Co. (MDCO), Depomed (DEPO), Spectrum (SPPI), KYTHERA (KYTH), Revance (RVNC), XenoPort (XNPT), Mylan (MYL), Akorn (AKRX), Impax (IPXL), Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (AMPH), Anacor (ANAC) and BioDelivery Sciences (BDSI).

Perrigo announced that pharmaceutical company Esteve Healthcare has signed a binding offer to acquire Perrigo's HRA Pharma Rare Diseases business for a total consideration of up to EUR 275M, consisting of an upfront cash payment of EUR 190M and up to EUR 85M in potential earnout payments based on the Rare Diseases business achieving certain sales milestones. Following the information and consultation process with HRA Pharma Works Council in France, Perrigo would be able to exercise the put option granted by Esteve and enter into a definitive agreement with Esteve for the sale of the Rare Diseases business. The proposed final transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2024, subject to the satisfaction of the HRA Works Council consultation and customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals.

Barclays lowered the firm's price target on Zoetis to $230 from $260 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares ahead of the Q1 report. The analyst expects the Q1 reports to provide continuing evidence of improvement in generics and biosimilars for the specialty pharmaceuticals group.