Johnson & Johnson to acquire Actelion in $30 billion deal

U.S. healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson will acquire Swiss biotech company Actelion in a $30 billion all-cash deal that includes spinning off Actelion's research and development pipeline, the companies said on Thursday. The acquisition gives J&J access to the Swiss group's line-up of high-price, high-margin medicines for rare diseases, helping it diversify its drug portfolio as its biggest product, Remicade for arthritis, faces cheaper competition. J&J said it expected the transaction to be immediately accretive to its adjusted earnings per share and accelerate its revenue and earnings growth rates.