Cipla puts $215 million South Africa bid on hold

Cipla has put on hold a $215 million bid for control of South African generic drug firm Cipla Medpro, the chairman of the drug maker said on Monday.

YK Hamied, chairman of the Cipla Ltd, did not give a reason why the drug maker has put on hold its bid for a 51 percent stake in South Africa's third-largest generic drug seller.

Shares in Cipla Medpro fell 4.47 percent to 8.98 rand as of 1102 GMT, still above the 8.55 rand a share Cipla Ltd offered in November last year.

Cipla Medpro said it has not received any word from Hamied that the deal had been put on hold.

"We have not received any communication from Cipla Ltd about its withdrawal from the talks," Johan du Preez, Cipla Medpro's acting CEO, told Reuters.

"As far as we are concerned, the talks are ongoing."

Copyright @ Thomson Reuters 2012