ABN Amro, Credit Suisse First Boston and Bank of America (BoA) stand to benefit from their longstanding banking relationships with Barr Laboratories, the US drugmaker, and Galen Holdings, the Irish group, after it emerged that the two companies are in takeover talks.

ABN Amro Hoare Govett, the UK broking subsidiary of Dutch bank ABN Amro, and CSFB, are Galen's corporate brokers. Both have been appointed as joint advisors to the Irish company on the bid talks, according to a source close to one of the banks.