August 1994

American Home Products, the maker of Advil and Jiffy Pop, launches a hostile bid for the drug company that makes everything from antibiotics and children’s vaccines to Centrum vitamins and FiberCon laxatives.

Value of the deal: $8.5 billion

July 1994

The pharmaceutical giant buys the McKesson Corp. subsidiary, which negotiates lower prescription-drug prices for corporate health plans.

Value of the deal: $4 billion

May 1994

The Swiss drug company offers to buy the struggling U.S. drugmaker. Roche also owns a majority stake in Genentech a biotechnology firm.

Value of the deal: $5.3 billion

July 1993

The first big alliance of a drugmaker and a lowcost drug prescription service. By joining with Medco Containment, the largest U.S. pharmaceutical company is assured access to HMOs.

Value of the deal: $6.2 billion

July 1989

A marriage of historical rivals. the merged company makes Bufferin and Clairol products and is a leading producer of anti-cancer drugs.

Value of the deal: $12.1 billion

May 1994

This once tiny, hospital company is now the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, with close to 200 hospitals in nearly 30 states and projected 1994 revenues of more than $11 billion. To build the empire, Columbia Hospital Corp. and its 41-year-old CEO, Richard Scott, buy Galen Health Care in June 1993, and then merge with HCA-Healtheare, a 96-hospital chain. The latest acquisition target: the country’s biggest chain of surgery centers. The deal is pending.

Value of the deals: $10.9 billion

January 1994

When the merger is finalized, this Nashville, Tenn.-based company will operate 115 hospitals in 22 states and have projected revenues of $3.4 billion.

Value of the deal: $1 billion

June l994

With more than 13 million customers, the joint venture becomes the nation’s largest healthcare operator.

Value of the deal: $650 million

February l994

This four-way merger creates a new company: Coram Healthcare Corp., which now rates as the second largest home health-care operation in the United States.

Value of the deal: $550 million

January l994

These California-based managed-health-care companies now cover 1.7 million people in 11 states, mostly in the West.

Value of the deal: $1.1 billion

August 1993

California’s second largest health-maintenance organization merges with the Pueblo, Colo., company with HMOs in six Western states.

Value of the deal: $775 million