I do hate the way that the Dow gets so inflated. Then it falters and the asx tumbles. And it's our speccies that then get hit the most. What have our biotechs and miners got to do with the likes of Apple, Microsoft and Facebook!
Maybe Merck will use this down turn to have a stab at vla.
Pharma execs talk M&A, drug pricing pressures on earnings calls
Ref: TheStreet
The potential for a wave of mergers and acquisitions was among the main topics discussed on pharmaceutical companies' quarterly earnings calls this week, reported TheStreet.
Pfizer CEO Ian Read said "I can't tell you when it will start, but I believe there will be moments when there's a key detonator to initiation of further consolidation."
He added that Pfizer "never [says] never to big deals, but we also say we think we have the capacity to do both the small deals and the big deal when the moment arises."
Meanwhile, Merck & Co. CEO Kenneth Frazier indicated that his company is "actively engaged in looking for the best opportunities to enhance our pipeline" via acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations and licensing.
David Ricks, chief executive at Eli Lilly, suggested his company has an "ambition to step up our game in [business development]."
He added "I've been pretty clear through the last year about our ambition in the Phase I, Phase II, so pre-proof-of-concept earlier clinical assets is the main target," as that is an area where Eli Lilly is "relatively underrepresented and there's a lot more to go after at price points."
