Express Scripts Nominates Four Directors for the Caremark Board of Directors
09 January 2007 - 7:05AM
PR Newswire (US)
Express Scripts Offer for Caremark is Superior ST. LOUIS, Jan. 8
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Express Scripts, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESRX) today
announced that it provided notice to Caremark Rx, Inc., (NYSE:CMX)
of its intention to nominate four candidates for election to the
Caremark Board of Directors at the Company's upcoming Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. On December 18, 2006, Express Scripts
announced its proposal to acquire Caremark for $29.25 in cash and
0.426 shares of Express Scripts stock for each share of Caremark
stock. Express Scripts noted that while it would prefer to meet
with the Caremark Board and management to negotiate a transaction
between Express Scripts and Caremark, it is taking this action in
light of the Caremark Board rejection and refusal to even discuss
our superior proposal. Based on Friday's closing stock prices, the
Express Scripts offer has a value of $58.58 per share, or $25.5
billion in the aggregate, and provides Caremark stockholders with a
13% premium to the current value of the CVS Corporation (NYSE:CVS)
proposal. Furthermore, the Express Scripts offer represents a 22%
premium over the average closing stock price of Caremark between
November 1, 2006, the day its proposed acquisition by CVS was
announced, and December 15, 2006, the last day of trading before
the Express Scripts offer was announced. In announcing its
nominees, Express Scripts stated: "Since we made our offer for
Caremark public, Caremark stockholders and the marketplace as a
whole have demonstrated their strong support for our offer. We
clearly provide Caremark stockholders with superior value to the
proposed acquisition of Caremark by CVS. The advantages of an
Express Scripts-Caremark combination are compelling. We remain
committed to pursuing a combination of our two companies to create
superior value for our respective stockholders, plan sponsors and
patients. We note that based on our past experience, each time we
have acquired another PBM the ensuing merged company increased in
the number of customers beyond what both had initially. We are
nominating directors for election to the Caremark Board. Our
nominees have proven track records in their areas of expertise, and
we are confident that they will serve in the best interests of
Caremark stockholders." The Express Scripts nominees to the
Caremark Board are: * Stuart L. Bascomb. Mr. Bascomb has been Chief
Executive Officer, Chairman and President of Amerisight, Inc. since
April 2004. Prior to joining Amerisight, Mr. Bascomb was a director
of Express Scripts from 2000 to 2004 and an Executive Vice
President of Express Scripts from 1989 to 2004; * Duke K. Bristow,
Ph.D. Dr. Bristow has been an economist at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1995, began teaching corporate
finance at the University of Southern California in August 2006,
has been a director of Landec Corporation since September 2004 and
a governance advisor to the board of Pacific Capital Bancorp since
November 2004; * John J. Jones. Mr. Jones served as Senior Vice
President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Argosy
Gaming Company from January 2004 to the sale of Argosy in October
2005, and he is currently a director of The Topps Company, Inc.;
and * Todd E. Warnock. Mr. Warnock is a Founding and Transaction
Partner of RoundTable Healthcare Partners and former Managing
Director and Head of U.S. Health Care Investment Banking at Credit
Suisse First Boston Corporation. Express Scripts has executed
commitment letters with Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking
and Credit Suisse to fully finance the proposed transaction. On
January 3, 2007, the Company filed the premerger notification and
report form pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust
Improvements Act in connection with the acquisition of shares of
Caremark and anticipates obtaining regulatory clearance in a timely
manner. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as
legal counsel to Express Scripts, and Citigroup Corporate and
Investment Banking and Credit Suisse are acting as financial
advisors. MacKenzie Partners, Inc. is acting as proxy advisor to
Express Scripts. About Express Scripts Express Scripts, Inc. is one
of the largest PBM companies in North America, providing PBM
services to over 50 million members. Express Scripts serves
thousands of client groups, including managed-care organizations,
insurance carriers, employers, third-party administrators, public
sector, and union-sponsored benefit plans. Express Scripts provides
integrated PBM services, including network-pharmacy claims
processing, home delivery services, benefit-design consultation,
drug-utilization review, formulary management, disease management,
and medical- and drug-data analysis services. The Company also
distributes a full range of injectable and infusion
biopharmaceutical products directly to patients or their
physicians, and provides extensive cost-management and patient-care
services. Express Scripts is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
More information can be found at http://www.express-scripts.com/,
which includes expanded investor information and resources. Safe
Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking
statements, including, but not limited to, statements related to
the Company's plans, objectives, expectations (financial and
otherwise) or intentions. Actual results may differ significantly
from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking
statements. Factors that may impact these forward-looking
statements include but are not limited to: uncertainties associated
with our acquisitions, which include integration risks and costs,
uncertainties associated with client retention and repricing of
client contracts, and uncertainties associated with the operations
of acquired businesses costs and uncertainties of adverse results
in litigation, including a number of pending class action cases
that challenge certain of our business practices investigations of
certain PBM practices and pharmaceutical pricing, marketing and
distribution practices currently being conducted by the U.S.
Attorney offices in Philadelphia and Boston, and by other
regulatory agencies including the Department of Labor, and various
state attorneys general changes in average wholesale prices
("AWP"), which could reduce prices and margins, including the
impact of a proposed settlement in a class action case involving
First DataBank, an AWP reporting service uncertainties regarding
the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug
benefit, including the financial impact to us to the extent that we
participate in the program on a risk-bearing basis, uncertainties
of client or member losses to other providers under Medicare Part
D, and increased regulatory risk uncertainties associated with U.S.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's ("CMS") implementation of the
Medicare Part B Competitive Acquisition Program ("CAP"), including
the potential loss of clients/revenues to providers choosing to
participate in the CAP our ability to maintain growth rates, or to
control operating or capital costs continued pressure on margins
resulting from client demands for lower prices, enhanced service
offerings and/or higher service levels, and the possible
termination of, or unfavorable modification to, contracts with key
clients or providers competition in the PBM and specialty pharmacy
industries, and our ability to consummate contract negotiations
with prospective clients, as well as competition from new
competitors offering services that may in whole or in part replace
services that we now provide to our customers results in regulatory
matters, the adoption of new legislation or regulations (including
increased costs associated with compliance with new laws and
regulations), more aggressive enforcement of existing legislation
or regulations, or a change in the interpretation of existing
legislation or regulations increased compliance relating to our
contracts with the DoD TRICARE Management Activity and various
state governments and agencies the possible loss, or adverse
modification of the terms, of relationships with pharmaceutical
manufacturers, or changes in pricing, discount or other practices
of pharmaceutical manufacturers or interruption of the supply of
any pharmaceutical products the possible loss, or adverse
modification of the terms, of contracts with pharmacies in our
retail pharmacy network the use and protection of the intellectual
property we use in our business our leverage and debt service
obligations, including the effect of certain covenants in our
borrowing agreements our ability to continue to develop new
products, services and delivery channels general developments in
the health care industry, including the impact of increases in
health care costs, changes in drug utilization and cost patterns
and introductions of new drugs increase in credit risk relative to
our clients due to adverse economic trends our ability to attract
and retain qualified personnel other risks described from time to
time in our filings with the SEC Risks and uncertainties relating
to the proposed transaction that may impact forward-looking
statements include but are not limited to: Express Scripts and
Caremark may not enter into any definitive agreement with respect
to the proposed transaction required regulatory approvals may not
be obtained in a timely manner, if at all the proposed transaction
may not be consummated the anticipated benefits of the proposed
transaction may not be realized the integration of Caremark's
operations with Express Scripts may be materially delayed or may be
more costly or difficult than expected the proposed transaction
would materially increase leverage and debt service obligations,
including the effect of certain covenants in any new borrowing
agreements. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly
any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events
or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence
of unanticipated events. Important Information Express Scripts
intends to file a proxy statement in connection with Caremark's
special meeting of stockholders at which the Caremark stockholders
will consider the CVS Merger Agreement and matters in connection
therewith. Express Scripts stockholders are strongly advised to
read that proxy statement and the accompanying GOLD proxy card when
they become available, as they will contain important information.
Stockholders will be able to obtain that proxy statement, any
amendments or supplements to that proxy statement and other
documents filed by Express Scripts with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") free of charge at the SEC's website
(http://www.sec.gov/) or by directing a request to MacKenzie
Partners, Inc., at 800-322-2885 or by email at . In addition, this
material is not a substitute for the prospectus/proxy statement
Express Scripts and Caremark would file with the SEC if an
agreement between Express Scripts and Caremark is reached or any
other documents which Express Scripts may send to shareholders in
connection with the proposed transaction. Investors are urged to
read any such documents, when available, because they will contain
important information. Such documents would be available free of
charge at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov/) or by directing a
request to MacKenzie Partners, Inc., at 800-322-2885 or by email at
. Express Scripts and its directors, executive officers and other
employees may be deemed to be participants in any solicitation of
Express Scripts or Caremark shareholders in connection with the
proposed transaction. Information about Express Scripts' directors
and executive officers is available in Express Scripts' proxy
statement, dated April 18, 2006, for its 2006 annual meeting of
stockholders. Additional information about the interests of
potential participants will be included in any proxy statement
filed in connection with the proposed transaction. This material
relates to a business combination transaction with Caremark
proposed by Express Scripts, which may become the subject of a
registration statement filed with the SEC. Investors and security
holders are advised to read this document and all other applicable
documents if and when they become available because they will
include important information. Investors and security holders may
obtain a free copy of any documents filed by Express Scripts with
the SEC at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov/) or by directing
a request to MacKenzie Partners, Inc. at the telephone number and
email address set forth above. Investor Contacts: Edward Stiften,
Chief Financial Officer David Myers, Vice President, Investor
Relations (314) 702-7173 Media Contacts: Steve Littlejohn, Vice
President, Public Affairs (314) 702-7556 Joele Frank / Steve
Frankel Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher (212) 355-4449
DATASOURCE: Express Scripts, Inc. CONTACT: Investor Contacts:
Edward Stiften, Chief Financial Officer, or David Myers, Vice
President, Investor Relations, +1-314-702-7173, or Media Contacts:
Steve Littlejohn, Vice President, Public Affairs, +1-314-702-7556,
all of Express Scripts; or Joele Frank, or Steve Frankel, both of
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, +1-212-355-4449 Web site:
http://www.express-scripts.com/
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