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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly)
PFE 25.71+1.9%3:59 PM EST

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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (252)6/8/1998 5:32:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong  Read Replies (2) of 1722
 
Boston Scientific May Be Near Deal To Buy Pfizer's Schneider Unit
June 08, 1998 4:50 PM

By Louis Hau, Staff Writer

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Speculation is mounting
that Pfizer Inc. is near a deal to sell its
cardiovascular-device subsidiary, Schneider Worldwide,
to Boston Scientific Corp. for $2 billion to $2.2 billion,
market sources said Monday.

The latest development to gear up the rumor mill is
Boston Scientific's (BSX) decision to cancel its
scheduled appearance Wednesday at the Goldman
Sachs Healthcare Conference in Napa Valley, Calif.
However, Chief Financial Officer Larry Best, who was
to attend the Goldman conference, insisted his absence
"has nothing to do with any acquisitions."

Best said he is chairing an in-house task force on
supply-chain management and that consultants advising
the task force were only available on Wednesday. He
said he will return to the company's Natick, Mass.,
headquarters after attending the Piper Jaffray Investor
Conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

He declined to comment on whether Boston Scientific
had a bid on the table for Schneider.

A Pfizer spokesman also declined to comment, saying
that the company is still exploring its strategic options for
the subsidiary.

Analysts and other market sources believe Pfizer (PFE)
could make an announcement on Schneider as early as
this week. Arterial Vascular Engineering Inc. (AVEI) is
also believed to be a leading contender for Schneider.
Arterial Vascular officials weren't available for comment.

Boston Scientific's expected bid is higher than what
earlier offers were believed to have been, which is
viewed as a reflection of Chairman and Chief Executive
Pete Nicholas's determination to buy Schneider, sources
said.

Schneider's primary appeal to Boston Scientific lies in its
strong patent portfolio in nylon angioplasty balloons and
"rapid-exchange" catheters.

Rapid-exchange, or single-operator-exchange, catheters
make switching angioplasty balloons easier than
traditional over-the-wire catheters. In a stent procedure,
doctors must first remove the balloon that performed the
angioplasty before they can go back in with another
balloon to position the stent. They will also occasionally
switch a balloon during an angioplasty if a different size
is needed.
-By Louis Hau; 201-938-5240
louis.hau@cor.dowjones.com

Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.

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