Actavis’ Big Bet On A Diversified Hybrid Model

Actavis’ proposal to buy Forest Labs for $25 billion in stock and cash was driven by consolidating customers and fierce competition in traditional Western markets. Different pressures, namely the tough-to-manage patent cliff, as well as leadership succession issues and investor unrest, drove Forest into the arms of a suitor.

The deal between Allergan PLC and Forest Laboratories Inc., which is likely to close mid-year, is indicative of many trends in biopharma, but one stands out: generics companies and branded specialty pharmas, long considered difficult to run under one roof, are converging into hybrid models.

While companies have sought for years to combine generics and branded innovative businesses, they have had mixed success at best; the business dynamics and corporate cultures were just too different....

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