Par Pharma Bought for $8B

Endo International, of Dublin, Ireland, with U.S. headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, on May 18 announced it has acquired fellow pharmaceutical company Par Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, for about $8 billion in cash and stock. A team from Ropes & Gray advised Par, including Boston-based attorneys William Shields, Michael Roh, Julie Jones, and David Saltzman; Michael McFalls of Washington, D.C., and Jay Kim and Alexander Zeltser, of Ropes' New York City office. A team from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom advised Endo.

Ascena Buys Ann Inc. for $2.16B

Ascena Retail Group in Mahwah, operator of women's' fashion brands Lane Bryant and Dressbarn, among others, announced on May 18 it has paid about $2.16 billion in cash and stock to acquire Ann Inc., the operator of women's' clothing stores Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor LOFT. A team from New York City's Proskauer Rose represented Ascena, which was led by Julie Allen and Steven Kirshenbaum. New York's Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz provided counsel to Ann Inc., with a team that included Joshua Cammaker and Patricia Vlahakis.

Buzz Bee Toys Acquired

Mount Laurel-based toy manufacturer Buzz Bee Toys, maker of the Water Warriors and Air Warriors lines of toys, announced on May 13 it has been acquired by Propel Equity Partners, a private equity firm in Greenwich, Connecticut. Propel plans to fold Buzz Bee into Fairfield-based Alex Brands, operator of its own Alex Toys line, as well as popular toys Slinky and Shrinky Dinks.