AZ to sell unit to Dentsply for $1.8bn
Drugmaker AstraZeneca said it would sell its dental implants and medical devices unit Astra Tech to Dentsply International $1.8bn (£1.1bn) in cash.
The US dental company beat bids from rival medtech groups and private equity firms to gain exclusivity to negotiate a deal.
Astra Tech, which had revenue last year of $535m, is the world’s third-largest dental implants maker after Straumann and Nobel Biocare. It has a separate medical devices arm focussed principally on urology and surgery.