Barr/Pliva acquisition final

Barr's acquisition of Croatian generics firm Pliva closes Oct. 24. Barr was able to own or control in excess of 95% of Pliva's voting share capital by the Oct. 11 deadline, the threshold necessary for a takeover under Croatian law. FTC approval of the $2.5 bil. deal was contingent upon Barr divesting the generic antidepressant trazodone and its generic blood pressure medication triamterene/hydrochlorothiazide to Apotex, as well as divesting either its own or Pliva's nimodipine soft gel capsules and Pliva's branded organ preservation solution Custodial. Barr cites Pliva's European infrastructure and biogeneric capabilities as the main reasons for the merger (1"The Pink Sheet" July 3, 2006, p. 16)....