The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, June 2, edition that Apotex Health is planning a share issue and secondary stock sale totalling at least $1-billion, valuing the company at about $5-billion, according to new securities filings. The Globe's Chris Hannay writes that Apotex announced Monday it planned to sell up to 50 million shares at a price of $20 to $24 per common share. That's about one-fifth of the company's total 231 million issued and outstanding shares on a non-diluted basis. If the IPO goes ahead, it will be the largest by value on the Toronto Stock Exchange since Definity Financial went public in 2021 -- and the largest ever in life sciences. About two-thirds of Apotex's 6,500 global employees are based in Canada, as are five of the company's eight manufacturing facilities. About one-fifth of all generic drugs taken in Canada are manufactured by Apotex, the company said. Apotex's generic version of the blockbuster drug Ozempic was the first to widely hit pharmacy shelves last week and Apotex already has tentative approval for the product from the United States Food and Drug Administration, although the main patent for Ozempic doesn't expire in the U.S. until 2032.