In many ways, Viatris is a product of the recent challenges faced by copycat drug developers.
In the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, the U.S., generics companies have found maintaining profits more difficult because of pressure on prices. At the same time, biosimilar sales remain relatively low due to the complicated patent webs that block many manufacturers from making inroads.
For some of the biggest, most diversified drug companies, these obstacles have raised questions about whether money would be better spent elsewhere. Biogen, for instance, announced in January plans to sell its stake in a joint venture focused on biosimilars. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has also said it might offload its struggling generics unit Sandoz.
Viatris, meanwhile, was created through a merger between Pfizer’s generics business, called Upjohn, and Mylan, which had hit a series setbacks manufacturing- and pricing-related setbacks over the preceding few years. READ MORE
by Jacob Bell
Source: biopharmadive.com
Avivi joins Bayer fresh off a yearlong stint as chief marketing officer of Advance Auto Parts, which followed about three years spent as marketing chief of another auto parts company, Tenneco. Rounding out her nearly 30-year career in marketing are leadership roles at consumer goods giants Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble.
Air Liquide S.A. (Paris) is continuing its development with the acquisition of Homecare activities in Belgium and the Netherlands. The two entities acquired in Belgium and the Netherlands support 10,000 patients living with respiratory insufficiency, sleep apnea syndrome or requiring infusion or nutrition treatments.
US-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay approximately $4.9 billion in cash to acquire Alpine Immune Sciences, a compatriot biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing innovative, protein-based immunotherapies.
