Abbott Laboratories acquires Veropharm: The American pharmaceuticals company Abbott Laboratories has gained control of Russian pharmaceutical manufacturer Veropharm after acquiring its largest shareholder GardenHills for $306m according to Vedomosti. The deal will enable Abbott to localise production in Russia and to increase sales next year by about $150 million, a representatives said earlier today. The American company also promised to continue manufacturing Veropharm products. It is one of Russia’s largest drug manufacturers that specialises in hospital and pharmacy prescription drugs and is also a leader in the oncological drug sector. The company has plants in Belgorod and Voronezh, and is building a new one in Pokrov. rbth