Novo Holdings set to win EU nod for $16.5 bln Catalent deal, source says (updated)

Catalent

22/11/2024 17:50

(Adds the European Commission declines comment, Novo and
Catalent did not immediately respond to request for comments,
details)
    By Foo Yun Chee and Maggie Fick
       BRUSSELS/LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Novo Holdings is set
to gain unconditional EU antitrust approval for its planned
$16.5 billion takeover of U.S. contract drug maker Catalent
 CTLT.N , a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on
Friday, clearing a key hurdle.
        Another source said Catalent is preparing senior
management for the deal to go through.
  
    Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Danish
drugmaker Novo Nordisk  NOVOb.CO , whose profit from blockbuster
weight-loss drug Wegovy has made it Europe's most valuable
company by market value.
    The deal would help Novo Nordisk boost output of Wegovy, a
once-weekly injection.
    The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition
watchdog and has set a Dec. 6 deadline for its decision,
declined to comment.
        Novo Holdings, Novo Nordisk and Catalent did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.
  
        In May, the companies said they had received a second
request from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for more
information on the deal. However, there has been no update from
the U.S. antitrust agency since then.
  

 (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Maggie Fick in
London; Editing by Louise Heavens)
 ((foo.yunchee@thomsonreuters.com; +32 2 585 2866; Reuters
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