* Mylan offering 145 SEK/share for Sweden's Meda
* Meda rebuffed an approach earlier this month
* Shares rose 10 pct before trading halt (Adds background on healthcare M&A)
By Soyoung Kim and Niklas Pollard
NEW YORK/STOCKHOLM, April 25 (Reuters) - U.S. genericdrugmaker Mylan has made a new and improved bid for Meda valuing its Swedish rival at around $9 billionincluding debt, a person familiar with the matter said onFriday.
Mylan raised its all-stock offer to 145 crowns per sharethis week after its first attempt at a merger with a 130 pershare offer was rejected by Meda earlier this month, the personsaid, asking not to be named because the matter is not public.
Excluding debt, the new bid is worth about $6.7 billionbased on shares outstanding and represents a roughly 50 percentpremium over Meda's share price before reports of the originaloffer.
Trading in Meda shares was halted in Stockholm earlier onFriday after the Financial Times first reported Mylan hiked itstakeover offer, triggering a 10 percent jump in the stock.
A Meda spokesperson declined to comment on the report. Mylanwas not immediately available for comment.
The sweetened offer comes amid a flurry of healthcare dealsthis week including medical device maker Zimmer Holdings Inc's $13.4 billion acquisition of rival Biomet; a $20 billionasset swap between Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKlinePharmaceuticals PLC ; and Eli Lilly and Co's acquisition of Novartis' animal health business for $5.4billion.
The generic drugs sector has seen a wave of mergers recentlyas companies selling popular copycat versions of blockbustermedicines have been hit by a dwindling number of patentexpirations and are looking to cut costs.
Meda rebuffed Mylan's initial takeover approach in earlyApril, saying it had been contacted about an indicative proposalto combine the two businesses but that its board had opted toreject the proposal.
An acquisition of Meda would boost Mylan's presence outsidethe United States with access to distribution channels in Europeand some emerging markets. It would also boost Mylan's positionin speciality pharmaceuticals where it focuses on respiratoryand allergy medicines, which is a key area for Meda as well.
Among potential buyers, Mylan was well placed to make amove, bankers and analysts have said. It could also takeadvantage of lower corporate tax rates as the purchase wouldincrease the percentage of revenues coming from overseas,allowing it to move its tax domicile outside the United States.
Meda's biggest owner is Stena Sessan Rederi AB, controlledby the Olsson business family, which owns 22.7 percent ofshares, meaning it could block any takeover attempt. (Reporting by Soyoung Kim in New York, Niklas Pollard andAlistair Scrutton; Editing by Alex Smith, Mark Potter, JaneMerriman and Nick Zieminski)