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Article: Cover Story: Global Outlook - Pharma - Big pharma gets bigger.
- Article from:
- Foreign Direct Investment
- Article date:
- April 1, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 FT Business. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Lara Williams
Big pharma is getting bigger.
A wave of consolidation throughout the sector is likely to create a new breed of behemoths, supposedly better equipped to face the future challenges of an industry whose business model is widely regarded as unsustainable.
Pharmaceutical companies have historically relied upon breakthrough blockbuster prescription drugs to drive their growth and generate profit. But the industry is being hit by a number of colliding factors: low R&D productivity, a patent 'shelf' in 2012 when a number of best-selling drugs will come off patent, and an increasingly risk averse international regulatory regime ...