Credit Suisse First Boston's mandate to advise Cardinal Health, a US healthcare company, on its latest acquisition will bolster the bank's position as adviser on the greatest number of transatlantic healthcare mergers and acquisitions this year.

The bank is advising Cardinal Health, which has a market capitalisation of about $15bn (€12.8bn), on the $530m cash acquisition of The Intercare Group, a UK pharmaceuticals company. It is CSFB's fifth transatlantic healthcare M&A deal so far this year. The highest number of deals other banks in the top 20 have done is three, according to Thomson Financial. CSFB ranks fourth in transatlantic and European healthcare M&A, behind Goldman Sachs in first place, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley.