Valeant Pharmaceuticals Agrees To Acquire Medicis Pharmaceutical for $44.00 Per Share In Cash

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. VRX and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation MRX today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Valeant will acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Medicis for $44.00 per share in cash. The transaction, which values Medicis' common stock at approximately $2.6 billion, was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies.  The $44.00 per share price represents a 39% premium to Medicis' closing share price on Friday, August 31, 2012, the last trading day prior to announcement, and a 31% premium to the three-month average trading price. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2013. Medicis' portfolio includes leading prescription brands SOLODYN®, RESTYLANE®, PERLANE®, ZIANA®, DYSPORT® and ZYCLARA®. The pro forma net revenue for the combined company's dermatology and aesthetics businesses for 2012 is expected to exceed $1.7 See full press release