While the ongoing recession has impacted the pharmaceutical industry’s performance, some observers feel it has merely exacerbated many underlying problems.
The number of blockbuster drugs which have lost patent protection have not been replaced by the same number of new products offering significant therapeutic advances, and the number coming off patent is set to rise over the coming years.
Those products which have been launched - increasingly in the biological area - have attracted criticism and objection from health payers due to their high cost.
The lack of capital has impacted the drug discovery and development sector, limiting the pool of new drug candidates.
Yet it is easy to be too gloomy, as many companies are posting good profits and many benefits will be derived from the rash of mergers and acquisitions. So... Who are the winners and losers in terms of sales and profitability? Which companies have maintained their investment in R&D? Which have been cash rich or cash poor?
