By Dana Mattioli, Jonathan D. Rockoff and Dana Cimilluca

Biotechnology giant Biogen Inc. has drawn takeover interest from drug companies including Merck & Co. and Allergan PLC, raising the possibility of another huge deal in the health-care industry.

Merck and Allergan have each sounded out Biogen on the possibility of a takeover, people familiar with the matter said. The communications were informal and preliminary, and they may not result in a deal -- in part because Biogen may not be interested, they added.

Biogen had a market value of $68 billion on Tuesday afternoon. It isn't clear whether other large drug companies also are contemplating a purchase of the company, which is in the process of searching for a new chief executive.

Write to Dana Mattioli at dana.mattioli@wsj.com, Jonathan D. Rockoff at Jonathan.Rockoff@wsj.com and Dana Cimilluca at dana.cimilluca@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 02, 2016 14:57 ET (18:57 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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