Money is flying fast in health care as big pharma's swap units and look to acquire each other. As they say, where there is smoke there is fire, and there is a lot of smoke emanating from Merck (MRK +3.13%).
The big pharma's consumer division, which includes well known brands like Coppertone and Dr. Scholl's, has been rumored to be on the block for months and the numbers around the secret bidding keep getting higher, and are now in the $14 billion range. As a result, one of its ardent suitors has walked away, leaving potentially a single finalist.
However, Merck may not be done. The newest rumor is that its established products unit, these are off patent drugs, is also in play, and could fetch another $15 billion.
In this episode of Market Check-Up, the Motley Fool's health-care focused investing show, analysts David Williamson and Michael Douglass discuss the details of these 2 rumors and what they mean for investors.
Watch the video below and find out why Merck would be even more exciting if it can pull off nearly $30 billion in asset sales.
