Johnson & Johnson to buy Abbott's vision unit for $4.33B

Johnson & Johnson to buy Abbott's vision unit for $4.33B
This Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016, photo, shows Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid brand bandages in Surfside, Fla. Johnson & Johnson said Friday, Sept. 16, that it is paying more than $4.3 billion in cash to buy the eye health unit of Abbott Laboratories as it seeks to boost its vision business. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Johnson & Johnson said Friday that it is paying more than $4.3 billion in cash to buy the eye health unit of Abbott Laboratories as it seeks to boost its vision business.

The unit, called Abbott Medical Optics, makes lasers and other equipment used for cataract surgeries and laser vision correction procedures. It also makes eye drops and cleaners for contact lenses. AMO posted sales of $1.1 billion last year.

Johnson & Johnson said that the purchase will enter it into the cataracts surgery market and grow its own vision business, which includes Acuvue contact lenses. The New Brunswick, New Jersey, company makes baby shampoo, blood testing equipment and other health care products.

Abbott, based in North Chicago, Illinois, said that it is selling the unit to focus on its treatments for the heart and arteries and its disease testing equipment.

The deal is subject to antitrust clearance and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

Shares of Johnson & Johnson slipped 38 cents to $118.25 Friday. Abbott shares rose 75 cents to $41.87.

Johnson & Johnson to buy Abbott's vision unit for $4.33B
This Thursday, April 28, 2016, file photo shows a sign at an Abbott Laboratories campus facility in Lake Forest, Ill. Johnson & Johnson said Friday, Sept. 16, that it is paying more than $4.3 billion in cash to buy the eye health unit of Abbott Laboratories as it seeks to boost its vision business. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Johnson & Johnson to buy Abbott's vision unit for $4.33B (2016, September 16) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2016-09-johnson-abbott-vision-433b.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Baby formula maker Abbott to buy medical test provider Alere

10 shares

Feedback to editors