Boehringer Ingelheim, the parent company of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., has reached an agreement with Pfizer to acquire certain assets of Fort Dodge Animal Health upon the closing of the Pfizer-Wyeth merger. Wyeth is the parent company of Fort Dodge Animal Health. The merger is expected to take place in the fourth quarter. The agreement, subject to anti-trust clearance, is anticipated to boost Boehringer Ingelheim’s companion animal and cattle portfolios. For instance, in the U.S. and Canada, the company will own and market the pet and cattle vaccine lines as well as a range of pharmaceuticals for pets, cattle and other species. In Canada, several swine vaccines are part of the package. In Australia, Boehringer Ingelheim will own and market Fort Dodge pet vaccines, and in some European countries and South Africa, certain cattle vaccines. The deal would give way for Boehringer Ingelheim to acquire manufacturing and research facilities in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Boehringer Ingelheim is based in Germany and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica in St. Joseph, Mo. Pfizer is based in New York, Wyeth in Madison, N.J., and Fort Dodge Animal Health in Overland Park, Kan. <HOME>
