Wyeth considers acquisition of Crucell

LEIDEN, Netherlands Wyeth is in talks with Dutch drug biotech company Crucell to acquire the company.

Crucell said Wednesday that the “friendly” talks were preliminary, but according to published reports, the acquisition could be worth $1.35 billion. Crucell, based in the city of Leiden, focuses on vaccines, proteins and antibodies to prevent infectious diseases.

If it goes through, the acquisition would add to the growing number of biotech buyouts by major pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly & Co. and AstraZeneca. Pfizer has also discussed the possibility of buying a large rival company, but hasn?t given specifics.