Virbac agrees to acquire Novartis' Sentinel Flavor Tabs, Sentinel Spectrum

Virbac has agreed to acquire the veterinary parasiticides Sentinel Flavor Tabs and Sentinel Spectrum, which are currently marketed by Novartis Animal Health. This agreement comes in the midst of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review of Eli Lilly and Company's pending acquisition of Novartis Animal Health.

The deal is subject to approval by the FTC and is reportedly conditional upon Eli Lilly's purchase of Novartis Animal Health. Eli Lilly entered into an agreement with Novartis to acquire its animal health division to combine with its existing animal health business, Elanco, for roughly $5.4 billion in April. At the time, Novartis' animal health division reported 2013 revenue of roughly $1.1 billion.

These Sentinel products are expected to reach revenue of $90 to $100 million in 2014, according to a Virbac press release. Virbac Animal Health already sells Iverhart Max and Iverhart Plus antiparasitics as well as a host of other veterinary products.