Big Pharma Shouts, Generics And Biosimilars Whisper: M&A In 2023

Companies Sit On Dry Powder In Challenging M&A Market

“A lot of companies are hurting because of the higher interest rates,” one major CEO observed recently, summing up a year which saw little headline-grabbing news on the M&A front for generic and biosimilar sponsors.  

Shout to a whisper
• Source: Shutterstock

At the midway point of 2023, dealmaking for big pharma had roared back to life following relative austerity in the previous two years, as credit became harder to come by, interest rates spiked, and lenders tightened up in a challenging and volatile market.

Huge deals penned by COVID-rich Pfizer Inc. (Seagen: $43bn) and Merck & Co., Inc. (Prometheus Biosciences: $10.8bn) showed...

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