ASPEN. Nice price, mate.

Byline: Sasha Planting

ASPEN Nice price, mate The list of SA firms that have tried and failed in Australia is long. But that of successful operations is arguably longer (see table). Aspen Pharmacare is one of the successes. But its recent acquisition of one of Australia's oldest companies, Sigma Pharmaceuticals, will catapult it even higher. The deal, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, gives Aspen control of about a quarter of Australia's generic drugs market, which has a dispensed value of over A$2bn/year. The pharmaceutical business Aspen has acquired is that country's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer. Buying Sigma was not on the to do list and Aspen …