­Sanofi-Aventis group yesterday announced the completion of the acquisition of 94% in Czech company Zentiva for approximately 2 billion US dollars, which means the French giant gets the second-largest pharmaceutical company on the Romanian market.

The deal has an impact on the ranking of the main players in the industry, too, with the cumulated business of the two companies, over 200 million euros, enthroning a new leader.

The current number one is Swiss Hoffmann la Roche, whose turnover stands at 141 million euros and whose market share reaches 7.3%, according to market research company Cegedim Romania. The change at the top, however, will become visible as early as 2010, when Cegedim cumulates the results.

"Certainly, by acquiring Zentiva, Sanofi-Aventis takes an option to the top spot in Romania, which is hard to challenge by competitors, at least for the coming period. Still, considering the deal was not completed in 2008, the data published by Cegedim will not include this acquisition in 2009, but in 2010, so that figures will be published separately for Sanofi-Aventis and Zentiva in 2009, which will allow Roche to remain number one in the published data," said Petru Craciun, chief executive of market research company Cegedim Romania.

Representatives for Zentiva in Romania did not provide any comment on this deal, and the officials of the Sanofi-Aventis group could not be reached for comment.

Sanofi-Aventis was number two last year, close behind Roche, with a 6.9% market share, while Zentiva ranked eighth, with 3.8% market share and 74 million-euro business, according to Cegedim.

The Sanofi-Zentiva deal is the second this year on the worldwide pharmaceuticals market, after Pfizer paid 68 billion dollars for rival Wyeth.

"Pfizer's acquisition of Wyeth will probably be integrated in 2010, too, which will probably put Pfizer,