Merck's consumer health sale at risk as Nestle bows out, says report

Nestle's CEO Mark Schneider is a healthcare veteran and wants a deeper focus on nutrition, health and wellness

The sale of Merck KGaA’s consumer health unit has been thrown off track after Nestle has pulled out, leaving the race to buy the maker of Seven Seas vitamins without its main contender, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
 
Nestle has walked away from the process, led by JPMorgan, after months of negotiations as the Swiss company was put off by Merck’s price expectations of about $4.99 billion, sources said. Nestle and Merck declined to comment. A spokesman for Merck said that “the process of evaluating options for our consumer health business is well on track.”
 
Four