Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Baxter paid roughly $305-316M for Wyeth's ESI Lederle generic-injectables unit in 2002, only to sell the same Cherry Hill plant and product line to Hikma for about $112M in 2011—a two-thirds value writedown over eight years with no evidence of offsetting pipeline gains in between.
Baxter bought Wyeth's ESI Lederle generic-injectables unit for ~$305-316M in 2002, then unloaded the same core business (Cherry Hill plant plus product line) to Hikma for just $112M in 2011 — a nominal loss of roughly two-thirds of the purchase price over eight years, with no evidence of blockbuster pipeline payoff in between.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Baxter agreed to purchase substantially all of Wyeth's injectable pharmaceutical assets for $305M cash plus $11M assumed liabilities, gaining a Cherry Hill NJ…
FTC required Baxter to divest propofol assets, end iron replacement co-marketing, and terminate rights in certain neuromuscular blocking agents to preserve…
Baxter divested its U.S. generics injectables unit — substantially the same business acquired from Wyeth — to Hikma for $112M, signaling a strategic retreat…
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Announced June 8, 2002. $305-316M cash and assumed liabilities. FTC cleared with divestitures of propofol, neuromuscular blockers. Acquired Cherry Hill NJ facility + 1000 employees. Tier 2 (FTC) verified.
Baxter bought Wyeth's ESI Lederle generic-injectables unit for ~$305-316M in 2002, then unloaded the same core business (Cherry Hill plant plus product line) to Hikma for just $112M in 2011 — a nominal loss of roughly two-thirds of the purchase price over eight years, with no evidence of blockbuster pipeline payoff in between.
Assessment window: 15yr post-close.
Generic injectable pharmaceuticals span hospital-administered drugs across anesthesia (propofol), neuromuscular blockade (vecuronium, pancuronium), antiemetics (metoclopramide), and iron replacement. These products are difficult to manufacture, sterile, and supplied primarily to hospitals via group purchasing organizations.
In 2002, the U.S. generic injectable market was a concentrated oligopoly dominated by Baxter, AstraZeneca's Diprivan (branded propofol), Hospira (then Abbott Hospital Products), Bedford Laboratories (Ben Venue), Mayne Pharma, and APP Pharmaceuticals. The FTC's Baxter-Wyeth analysis flagged that propofol had only two suppliers (Baxter via GensiaSicor and AstraZeneca's Diprivan), with Wyeth/ESI Lederle one of two firms positioned to enter — making the deal anticompetitive without divestitures. Similar concentration existed in vecuronium and pancuronium neuromuscular blockers. Baxter's acquisition of ESI Lederle added a 330,000 sq ft Cherry Hill, NJ manufacturing facility, ~1,000 employees, and a portfolio of antinauseants, analgesics, hemostats, and anti-infectives — repositioning Baxter as the leading U.S. supplier of small-volume sterile injectables. The deal compelled FTC-mandated divestitures of propofol assets, the iron replacement co-marketing agreement, and certain neuromuscular blocker rights, redistributing competitive intensity rather than eliminating it. Baxter ultimately exited the U.S. generic injectables business in 2010, selling it to Hikma for $112M.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter International Inc. / ESI Lederle (Wyeth generic injectable business) (this deal) | 2002 | $316M | 33 |
| Baxter International Inc. / Hillrom Holdings Inc. | 2021 | $12.4B | 48 |
| Roche Holding AG / Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. | 2002 | $1.4B | 100 |
| Gilead Sciences Inc. / Triangle Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2002 | $464M | 96 |
| Amgen Inc. / Immunex Corporation | 2002 | $16.0B | 92 |
| Novartis AG / Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d. | 2002 | $876M | 88 |
| Bayer AG / BlueRock Therapeutics | 2002 | $600M | 79 |
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