One step closer to a big Pfizer breakup?

A top Pfizer ($PFE) official tells Bloomberg that the company will probably reorganize into two business units--one focused on innovative drugs, the other on off-patent meds (and perhaps consumer health)--from four. And that would pave the way for a two-way split.

If you've been following CEO Ian Read's streamlining efforts over the past two years, you know that he's been shedding business units to zero in on Pfizer's core prescription drugs business, and to return cash to shareholders, a not-incidental goal. You also know that some analysts have championed even more streamlining, arguing that Pfizer would be worth more to investors if broken into smaller pieces.

Study: Drug industry's reputation falls in 2012

The study was conducted and funded from mid-November to mid-December 2012 by PatientView, an independent global research organization with close ties to patient and health groups from 56 different countries. The study results express the views of 40 patient groups (600 respondents) regarding 29 individual pharmaceutical companies and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

Participating patient groups were required to know enough about the pharmaceutical companies and industry to assess them meaningfully. The 40 patient groups represent the full spectrum of brain diseases, including neurological diseases, mental disorders and chronic diseases.