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How Allergan went from a tiny Los Angeles eye care company to the biggest takeover target of 2015

Lydia RamseyNov 23, 2015, 21:14 IST

REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Allergan Plc, the drugmaker known for its best-seller Botox, agreed to merge with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. in a $160 billion deal.

The company, which was recently created as a combination of Actavis Plc and Allergan Inc., appealed to Pfizer in part because of how it could help cut the drug giant's tax bill. Pfizer is known for making blockbuster drugs Viagra and Lipitor.

Here's the story of how Allergan went from a small Los Angeles company known for making eye-drops to an Ireland-domiciled drug giant to 2015's biggest takeover target.