Actavis Says It’s in Early Discussions to Buy Warner Chilcott

Actavis Inc., the largest U.S. maker of generic drugs by market value, said it’s in “early stage discussions” to buy Warner Chilcott Plc, the drugmaker that unsuccessfully pursued a sale last year.

Bloomberg reported yesterday before the announcement that the companies were in acquisition talks, citing people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions were private. The negotiations come a few weeks after Actavis weighed a merger with fellow generics maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., said the people.