There are two primary reasons Novartis anticipates flat sales during 2016: Its hallmark cancer drug Gleevec recently came off patent and its Alcon ophthalmic business has seen declining growth rates.
Merck’s landmark approval in 2015 was for immunotherapy Keytruda, which was cleared in October as a second-line treatment for the most common form of skin cancer.
J&J has earmarked a pile of cash — in the neighborhood of $18.5 billion — for future acquisition targets, but is patiently pacing the sidelines for the best players to walk onto the field.
In an effort to overcome pricing pressures and bounce back from patent losses, Germany’s second-largest drugmaker has unloaded assets and reshuffled its management team.
After turning its back on an offer from generics competitor Teva, Mylan stepped up with an unsuccessful hostile takeover bid for generic drugmaker Perrigo.