Are three more mega-deals in pharma's cards?

Do you have the stamina for three more pharma mega-mergers? Urch Publishing says you should brace yourselves. Pfizer's hook-up with Wyeth will alter the pharma world so profoundly that companies not looking for a big buyout may be forced to change their minds, the research firm predicts. "2009 is set to redefine the structure and dynamics of the pharmaceutical industry in a way not seen since the year 2000, Steve Seget, the report's author, said in a statement.

Seget's report says Pfizer/Wyeth [1], Roche/Genentech [2], and Merck/Schering-Plough [3] will lead to a triad of big deals, perhaps even by year's end. According to Urch, the companies under the most pressure to merge are Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and Japan's Takeda. And the companies best placed to do the buying? Sanofi-Aventis and Novartis--and perhaps Johnson & Johnson or Glaxo.

We're sure Glaxo chief Andrew Witty and Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher are shaking their heads at the idea; both have said they're eschewing the temptation to mega-merge. What do you think?

- read the Urch press release [4]

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