According to The Wall Street Journal, the Swiss company NOVARTIS is undergoing preliminary talks with AVENTIS in order to bring it help against the hostile takeover bid from SANOFI-SYNTHELABO (see EI of 28 January). Furthermore, AVENTIS is on the point of creating a joint venture with the American fund, BLACKSTONE, with a view to selling it its non-strategic medicines that make a turnover of EUR 1.5 billion.