Topic: How To Invest

Can you tell me your opinion on Valeant Pharmaceuticals?

Article Excerpt

Valeant Pharmaceuticals, $120.15, symbol VRX on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 333.9 million; Market cap: $40.0 billion; www.valeant.com), is a drug maker that focuses on dermatology, generics and neurology in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia. On September 28, 2010, Biovail Corporation purchased Montreal-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. The new company took on the Valeant name. Valeant continues to grow by acquisition. In 2011, it bought Edmonton-based Afex Life Sciences, maker of the over-the-counter cold and flu remedy Cold-FX. In late 2012, it added Medicis Pharmaceuticals for $2.6 billion. Medicis is a global leader in dermatology products, including the largest acne brand, and facial aesthetics, such as dermal fillers to reduce wrinkles. Valeant made more than a dozen other acquisitions in 2012, including iNova, which sells and distributes prescription and over-the-counter products in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and South Africa. It also acquired Dermik, a unit of major drug maker Sanofi in the U.S. and Canada that makes and sells therapeutic…