DSM acquires Roche's vitamins, carotenoids and fine chemicals business for roughly $2.09 bil. (€1=$1.07), firms say Feb. 10. The original $2.24 bil. price tag agreed upon in September was lowered due to the "continued slow-down of the world's economies and the weakening" of the U.S. dollar versus the Swiss Franc, "which both had a negative impact on the vitamin business performance compared to earlier forecasts," firms say (1"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 9, 2002, p. 6). DSM will pay Roche roughly $1.99 bil. in cash and $107.4 mil. in DSM stock. Roche will take an impairment charge of $1.2 bil. in its 2002 results and will increase its provisions for liabilities relating to vitamin price-fixing charges. The transaction is slated to close in Spring pending approval by antitrust authorities...

Pink Sheet reporters and editor discuss President-Elect Joe Biden’s decision to name the CDER director as acting FDA commissioner and other staffing changes, as well as changes to industry trade groups’ political donations.

Delfi Diagnostics will use the new funds to expand its team of cancer researchers and machine-learning experts to validate its novel approach for early cancer detection through multiple prospective clinical trials.