Merck KgaA, the 300-year old German pharmaceutical company, said on Sunday it was considering listing several of its US businesses in the medium-to-long term to generate takeover currency for a large US acquisition, the Financial Times reports. The plans highlight the necessity for the mid-sized German company, which is still majority-controlled by the Merck family, to expand into the US market, the world's largest and fastest-growing, to remain a serious player in its field. One of the flotations under consideration, the IPO of its VWR lab distribution business, has already been scheduled for the next two years. Other potential flotations, such as an IPO of its US pharmaceutical or biotechnology businesses could follow thereafter, Bernhard Scheuble, the new chairman, said.

Source: Financial Times