Swiss healthcare company Vifor Pharma is understood to be working with adviser Centerview Partners as part of a plan to sell itself to Australia’s largest healthcare company CSL.
DataRoom revealed this month CSL is believed to be in exclusive talks to buy the $10bn-odd business listed in Zurich. It is now understood that the parties are yet to agree on a price and that any transaction is likely to happen around February.
CSL has been working with Bank of America, but other investment banks are now said to be scrambling to gain a role on any equity raising that may occur for an acquisition.
Sources are suggesting that the $138bn Australian medical group could tap the market for about $4bn.
Bank of America has a long history with CSL, which was floated in 1994 by adviser Mcintosh Securities.
Merrill Lynch purchased Mcintosh Securities in 1996.
Vifor’s adviser at Centerview is Richard Girling, who used to be the global head of healthcare investment banking at Merrill Lynch and close to CSL.
Another interesting connection between the two groups is that Vifor’s chief executive Abbas Hussain was previously on CSL’s board.
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