The year 2014 has been a standout for pharmaceutical M&A – and it’s still far from over. Allergan PLC reinvented itself into a leading specialty player with the acquisition of Forest Laboratories Inc. And Pfizer Inc. surprised industry watchers around the globe by steamrolling into mega-merger territory, this time in pursuit of AstraZeneca PLC. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. launched a hostile bid for Allergan Inc., taking the unorthodox approach of enlisting the help of an activist investor, and GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Novartis AG set off a potential new trend with a big asset swap.
In most years, those deals alone would satisfy the industry. But two deals signed this summer, AbbVie Inc.’s $53.3...