Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has agreed to buy Allergan generic drugs business for $40.5bn - in a deal which will turn Teva into one of the world's 10 largest pharmaceutical companies.
US company Allergan - which makes antibiotics, and is also famed for botox - has its headquarters in Westport County Mayo, while Teva's has an Irish presence in Waterford.
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Allergan manufactures botox, biologic drugs (manufactured from biological rather than synthetic compounds) and sterile ophthalmic pharmaceutical products in Ireland - making crossover with its generic drug units unlikely.
Neither company has been available to comment on the implications of the deal for their Irish operations.
The deal has lead to Teva raising its full-year earnings forecast to between $5.15 to $5.40 per share - up from $5.05 to $5.35 per share.
