10:30 a.m.Mylan Inc., the pharmaceutical giant who acquired Napa-based Dey LP as part of its October purchase of Dey parent company Merck KGaA, announced plans to sell Dey.

“Mylan will pursue strategic alternatives for Dey, including the potential sale of the business," according to a company press release.

Dey manufactures a variety of products targeting allergies and other breathing problems.

“During our recent post-closing review of Dey, it became clear that the launch of Perforomist, which occurred concurrently with the closing of the Merck Generics acquisition, requires a redefined strategic approach,” wrote Mylan CEO Robert J. Coury in a news release.

“While Dey is already in the process of addressing this issue, the delay will result in slower growth and a longer timeframe to reach peak sales than was originally anticipated from this product. While we continue to believe that the Dey business, as a whole, represents a very exciting opportunity in specialty pharmaceuticals, we believe that our resources would be better allocated toward our core generics business. As a result, we have decided to consider a sale of Dey,” he wrote.

Dey, perhaps the largest for-profit employer in Napa County, employs approximately 875 employees, 540 of whom work in the Napa facility in manufacturing, quality control, scientific research, business development, marketing, regulatory work and sales support. Three hundred employees work in sales and marketing.