Cubist bid for Optimer before sale process began: sources

By Jessica Toonkel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Before Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc even put itself up for sale earlier this year, Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc offered to buy the antibiotic maker for $20 per share, or nearly $1 billion, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The Cubist offer, which was made last summer and rejected, according to the people, would have represented a premium from the company’s then share price of around $15 per share. The stock currently trades at more than $16 per share. Optimer’s stock closed Wednesday at $16. …