Celgene: A Promising Stock
With an attractive balance sheet, healthy revenue growth and a solid return on equity, biotech company Celgene looks like a promising stock buy.
pfizer
Pfizer Sells Capsugel: Will More Asset Sales Follow?
On Monday, Pfizer announced it would sell its Capsugel business to private-equity firm KKR for $2.375 billion. If the hints the drugmaker has been giving lately are true, the move could be the start of two years of major asset sales. Here's what's ahead for the world's biggest pharmaceutical company.
Next Commerce Chief Will Play Key Role on Exports
This week, President Obama announced that he's nominating Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as U.S. Ambassador to China. There are several short-list contenders to replace Locke at Commerce, but the question is: Who would best be able to help Obama double U.S. exports in the next five years?
The Millionaire Class: Most New U.S. Senators are Rich
Approximately 60% of first-year U.S. senators and 40% of House of Representatives freshmen are worth at least $1 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That makes them far richer than most of the Americans they represent: Just 1% of the country's population has reached the $1 million mark.
Japan Finds No Link Between Vaccines and Child Deaths
Japan's health ministry says it's continuing its suspension of pediatric vaccines made by Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis, despite finding no connection between the vaccines and the deaths of four children. Both drugmakers are cooperating with the government and expect to be cleared.
Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis Vaccines Suspended in Japan
Two pediatric vaccines have been suspended in Japan after the deaths of four children. Shares of Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer, which make the drugs, have fallen in midday trading.
Pfizer Shrinks Its Drug Pipeline Amid R&D Cuts
In an update Tuesday, Pfizer said it is discontinuing 15 of the projects in its development pipeline. The news comes a month after the world's largest pharmaceutical company announced large research and development cuts were on the way.
Top-Selling Drugs About to Lose Patent Protection
The pharmaceutical industry is ready to fall off a cliff -- a "patent cliff." Over the next few years, some of the world's most popular and lucrative medicines will go off patent, and generic competition will siphon an estimated quarter of a trillion dollars from drugmakers' bottom lines.
Supreme Court Limits Lawsuits Against Vaccine Makers
Vaccine makers such as Pfizer are breathing easier now that the Supreme Court has ruled they can't be sued for defective vaccine designs. The majority opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia was unequivocal: Congress has barred lawsuits over the rare but unavoidable side effects of vital vaccines.
Big Pharma Looks Beyond Drugs to Smartphone Apps
Pharmaceutical companies looking for fresh sources of profit are increasingly investing in a range of health care innovations that aren't drugs at all, from smartphone apps and educational websites to social media platforms and wireless devices, reports Ernst & Young.
Two Reasons for Clinical Data Shares to Soar Again
From October 2010 to February 2011, biotech Clinical Data's stock doubled, mostly thanks to FDA approval of its novel antidepressant. But also pushing the stock up -- and making it likely to perhaps double again -- is speculation that a Big Pharma will buy Clinical Data.
What's Behind the Share Buyback Binge?
Companies that have piled up cash over the past few years are finding one good use for it: Repurchasing their own shares. January alone saw $57 billion in buybacks, compared with $357 billion for all of 2010. While buybacks don't add value, they do give investors more options.
Two Drugs Found to Fight Steve Jobs' Rare Cancer Type
Pfizer's cancer drug Sutent and Novartis's drug Afinitor have both been found to be effective against the rare form of pancreatic cancer that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was diagnosed with in 2004, according to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Pfizer 4Q Earnings Nearly Quadruple
Pfizer beat Wall Street expectations by a slim margin as its profits nearly quadrupled, compared to a 2009 quarter hurt by big restructuring charges. Shares rose more than 5% even though the company warned that revenue is slowing and it plans to cut its workforce.