Some context from big pharma land from the news.
Would Pfizer Buying GlaxoSmithKline Make Sense?
From May 2015.
(note the deal is unlikely to go ahead)
"To make matters even more confusing, patent exclusivity losses have hit Pfizer hard. Since 2010 Pfizer's revenue has precipitously declined as key therapies such as cholesterol-fighting drug Lipitor, anti-inflammatory Celebrex, and
COPD drug Spiriva have lost exclusivity in important regions. In fact, based on the midpoint of Pfizer's estimated $44 billion-$46 billion in sales in 2015 (inclusive of negative currency effects), Pfizer's revenue will have dropped by a third (about $22 billion) in just five years."
"Both also have a strong history in respiratory product development. GlaxoSmithKline is counting on four co-developed COPD/asthma products
(Breo, Anoro, Incruse, and Arnuity) to drive growth over the next decade, which would fit nicely with Pfizer's product portfolio."
Read more:
Would Pfizer Buying GlaxoSmithKline Make Sense? (GSK,PFE) http://www.investopedia.com/stock-a...thkline-make-sense-gsk-pfe.aspx#ixzz3oPybgidf
From last month Sept 2015:
GlaxoSmithKline lung drug fails to extend life in huge study
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/re...e-lung-drug-fails-extend-life-huge-study.html
"
Sept 9 (Reuters) -
GlaxoSmithKline's inhaled medicine Breo failed to prolong life in patients with chronic respiratory disease in a high-stakes clinical trial of 16,500 people, torpedoing hopes of a sales boost for the drug.
Shares in Britain's biggest drugmaker fell 1.5 percent on Wednesday, lagging a strong London market, in reaction to the news announced by the company and its partner Theravance late on Tuesday. Theravance plunged 15 percent.
Investors had hoped the large study would increase sales for the medicine, potentially by billions of dollars, underpinning GSK's all-important respiratory business in the face of increasing competition."
From 2013:
Pfizer settles 2,000-plus Chantix suits, takes $273M charge
http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/p...us-chantix-suits-takes-273m-charge/2013-03-04
"In answer, the company sponsored a trial of Chantix in patients who were either depressed or had a history of
depression. It beat placebo at helping patients quit smoking, the study found. The trial also assessed participants' psychiatric health and found no differences between the two arms, Pfizer said at the time. Pfizer tried--and failed--to persuade Johnson to postpone one trial to allow for admission of the study data.
Now, the
FDA has determined that
Chantix is probably associated with a higher heart attack risk. But the agency also emphasizes that smoking comes with enormous risks to the heart, and quitting can change that. Pfizer has disputed the research that informed the FDA's opinion on the subject, and continues to stand by the drug's risk-benefit balance."
-- note from Twigman : Invion are now ideally positioned to enter stage right with Nadolol oral and inhaled.
(20min delay)