United Therapeutics Corp. shares surged 8.7% premarket on Friday after a news report suggested that major pharmaceutical companies were weighing a bid for it. The Evening Standard report said that Gilead Sciences Inc. is considered the frontrunner, while GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Novartis AG are also possible contenders. Glaxo and United Therapeutics declined to comment to the Evening Standard. United Therapeutic, which was founded by Martine Rothblatt, a co-founder of Sirius XM , currently has five products on the market, four of which treat pulmonary arterial hypertension; the fifth is intended for pediatric cancer patients. United Therapeutics shares have dropped 11.5% year-to-date, compared with a 10.4% rise in the S&P 500 .
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