UPDATE: AstraZeneca to buy ZS Pharma to bolster CV portfolio; options for Actelion

7 November 2015

As the M&A frenzy continues apace, Anglo-Swedish pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZ) on Friday morning revealed that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ZS Pharma (Nasdaq: ZSPH), a biopharmaceutical company based in San Mateo, California, beating overtures from Swiss biotech Actelion (SIX: ATLN), which earlier this year reported interest in the company (The Pharma Letter September 11).

ZS Pharma uses its proprietary ion-trap technology to develop novel treatments for hyperkalemia (high potassium levels), a serious condition of elevated potassium in the bloodstream, typically associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic heart failure (CHF).

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