Biopharmaceuticals giant Actelion Ltd. confirmed Thursday afternoon that it has held talks with potential acquisition target ZS Pharma Inc. Actelion, based in Switzerland, issued a brief statement that said it “has initiated preliminary discussions” with ZS Pharma, and that it would not give further comment. Bloomberg News reported earlier Thursday that the two companies had discussed a deal that would value Texas-based ZS Pharma at $2.5 billion. ZS Pharma stock roared higher after the Bloomberg report, closing with a 28.4% gain at $74.73 that pushed the company’s market cap closer to $2 billion.
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