Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Wednesday September 5, 2013

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Wednesday September 5, 2013:

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Shares of Astex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:

) spiked higher Wednesday afternoon on a report from

that Otsuka (OTC:

) was offering 90 billion yen ($904 million) to acquire the drug company, which focuses on oncology and hematology. Spokespersons for Otsuka and Astex were not available for comment. Astex Pharmaceuticals closed at $8.27 Wednesday, a gain of 24% on 10 times average volume.

:

C. R. Bard (NYSE:

) announced Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Rochester Medical (NASDAQ:

) for $20 per share, or approximately $262 million. The deal is expected to close later this year. Rochester Medical closed at $19.91 Wednesday, a gain of 44%.

:

Shares of BlackBerry (NASDAQ:

) spiked higher late Wednesday on a report from the

that the Canadian smartphone maker is seeking a speedy auction process that could be completed by November, according to sources. BlackBerry announced in August it was exploring strategic alternatives that might include a possible sale. The company has reportedly held preliminary talks with potential buyers. BlackBerry closed at $10.75 Wednesday, a gain of 5% and traded as high as $11.00 after-hours.