Medical device maker Sirtex could be back on the radar of Bayer, with fresh talk in the market that the global medical research giant is weighing a takeover bid for the $1.6 billion company.

Bayer has Sirtex in its sights because of the radioactive treatment it has developed for inoperable liver cancer called SIR-Spheres microspheres.

A tie-up between the pair has been talked about for some time.

The global giant is said to be keeping a “watching brief” of the business, but the falling Australian dollar may mean the time is now right for it to strike.

Bayer co-developed and co-marketed the drug Nexavar with Onyx Pharmaceuticals, which is also used to treat primary kidney and liver cancer.

Sirtex’s cancer treatment, which costs about $40,000 per treatment, threatens its own sales.

Listed on the ASX, Sirtex counts Hunter Hall, CBA, Perpetual and Pictet Funds as its top investors. Shares in the company have climbed from almost $5 five years ago to last trade at $28.

For more details, go to: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/dataroom/australian-anti-cancer-company-sirtex-in-bayers-sights/story-fnjw8txa-1227358173716