Novartis Eyes Generic-Medicines Firm

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis is in talks to buy German generic-drugs maker Hexal and two of its subsidiaries for up to €4.5 billion (R35.6 billion), the daily Die Welt reported on Tuesday. Hexal's majority shareholders, the Struengmann brothers, were negotiating with Novartis over the sale of Hexal and its subsidiaries 1A Pharma and Eon Labs, the newspaper said, without revealing its sources.

Business Report (http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=2411645)