Swiss pharma group Novartis will work more closely with rival Roche but rules out a merger, its chairman said in a newspaper interview on Sunday. Asked whether the two companies wanted to stay independent, Joerg Reinhardt, who took over as Novartis chairman in August, told Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung: "Absolutely."
He said, however, that he'd met outgoing Roche Chairman Franz Humer a few weeks ago and was also exchanging emails with his successor Christoph Franz.
"Two pharma groups working in the same location have many topics in common," he said. Both Roche and Novartis are based in Basel in north-western Switzerland.
Asked whether Novartis could sell its stake in Roche that was built up under his predecessor Daniel Vasella, Reinhardt said: "The shares are in good hands with us. For as long as Roche does well, we take pleasure in them." Novartis holds a third of Roche's bearer shares.
In October, Roche Chief Executive Severin Schwan also knocked back speculation that the company could merge with Novartis. Reinhardt said in the interview Novartis hoped to conclude an ongoing review of its over-the-counter drugs, animal health and vaccines businesses by the end of the year.
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