Indian generics posts

Feed

Pfizer's path forward: To generics? To biotech?

There is a report out of Reuters that may get the drug sector up in a whirlwind if it comes to pass. The implications aren't just that Pfizer Inc. may want to try to counter Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo's bid for a majority stake in India's largest generic drug maker Ranbaxy. Daaichi Sankyo has put in a bid of roughly $4.6 billion for that majority stake.

Pfizer is stuck along with Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and other Big Pharma drug players between a rock and a hard place as it has a mountain of cash, makes money, but has a perceived weak drug pipeline. If you thought that Big Pharma drug companies were under fire because of generic drugs, the issues may get much more convoluted.

Ranbaxy is India's largest generic drug maker, and India also has some restrictions on foreign ownership of its key companies and infrastructure. Whether or not the Pfizer deal comes to pass, it is becoming more and more inevitable that the big drug companies are going to have to either make more biotech buyouts to purchase better drug pipelines or that generic makers will become targets as a way to fend off the generic pressure. No wonder the short selling is lower in major biotechs.

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-89.2312,801.23
NASDAQ-23.352,903.88
S&P 500-9.311,342.64

Last updated: February 12, 2012: 02:50 AM

Hot Stocks

General Electric

18.875-0.255(-1.33)

Alcoa

10.29-0.35(-3.29)

Apple Inc

493.42+0.25(+0.05)

Google Inc 'A'

605.91-5.55(-0.91)

Bank of America

8.07-0.11(-1.34)

Wal-Mart Stores

61.90-0.06(-0.10)

Exxon Mobil Corp

83.80-1.08(-1.27)

Ford

12.44-0.25(-1.97)

Citigroup

32.925-0.735(-2.18)

IBM

192.42-0.71(-0.37)

Yahoo

16.14+0.14(+0.88)

Starbucks

48.82-0.38(-0.77)

Microsoft

30.495-0.275(-0.89)

Home Depot

45.33+0.06(+0.13)

DailyFinance Headlines

AOL Business News

BioHealth Investor Headlines

Sponsored Links

My Portfolios

Track your stocks here!

Find out why more people track their portfolios on AOL Money & Finance then anywhere else.

BloggingStocks Partners

More from AOL Money & Finance

Page Loaded in 1329033012652 ms.