AstraZeneca PLC announced plans to buy Omthera Pharmaceuticals Inc., the maker of a late-stage fish oil product for dyslipidemia. The deal announced May 28 bypasses Omthera’s rival Amarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., which already has a similar product on the market and has been looking for a big pharma partner or buyer.
AstraZeneca agreed to pay Omthera $12.70 per share, or approximately $323 million, an 88% premium over Omthera’s closing price on May 24. The enterprise value of the deal is lower,...