In a deal worth at least US$600 M, Japan’s Santen Pharmaceutical has agreed to buy nine of Merck & Co.’s ophthalmology brands in Japan and key markets in Europe and Asia-Pacific. The products, one of which is awaiting regulatory approval in the EU, generate annual sales of approximately US$400 M in the territories covered by the deal. For Merck, the divestment is a continuation of the strategic initiative that the company announced in October 2013, as part of which it has already sold its US ophthalmology business to Akorn Pharmaceuticals.