J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare sold its Rolaids brand to Sanofi’s Tennessee-based Chattem OTC unit, which will re-launch the 60-year-old antacid brand. “The acquisition is consistent with your long-term strategy, which includes growing our consumer healthcare offering as part of a broader diversification strategy,” said Anne Whittaker, president for North America Pharmaceuticals at Sanofi, in a statement. “Chattem has a proven track record of successful acquisitions and integrations and the addition of Rolaids, an enduring brand with a deep heritage, further diversifies the company’s portfolio.”
Elsevier has purchased the private database firm Aureus Sciences, founded in 2002. The firm’s tools help researchers home in on drug repurposing potential as well as promising compounds. The publisher also announced that its portfolio now includes the Journal of Cell Therapy, the journal of the International Society for Cellular Therapy. The society said in a statement Monday that it chose the publisher because of its “unsurpassed reach into the global medical community, top class publishing services and significant experience in the field.”
