Novartis aims for super-speed with strategic review, CEO tells analysts

Want the latest on Novartis' should-we-or-shouldn't-we asset review? Leerink Partners analysts met with CEO Joe Jimenez recently, so they can deliver that and more, including some hints at cost-cutting targets.

As you know, Novartis is analyzing four of its smaller units, with an eye to either: a., dispose of them in a shareholder-friendly way; or b., somehow build them into bigger contributors to the bottom line. Those units would be animal health, vaccines, consumer healthcare and diagnostics.

Έκλεισε με επιτυχία η πρώτη μέρα του 9ου Συνεδρίου Φαρμακευτικού Μάρκετινγκ

Αθρόα υπήρξε η προσέλευση των στελεχών στο Συνέδριο σηματοδοτώντας ότι πράγματι αποτελεί κορυφαίο γεγονός για τα στελέχη του φαρμακευτικού μάρκετινγκ και επιστημονικής ενημέρωσης.

Τα μηνύματα που εξέπεμψε το Συνέδριο κατά την πρώτη μέρα ήταν ότι η πολιτεία επιβάλλεται να διαμορφώσει ένα πιο προβλέψιμο περιβάλλον. Αυτό θα ενίσχυε τις επενδύσεις τις κλινικές μελέτες την καινοτομία την παραγωγή τις εξαγωγές και τελικά την απασχόληση.

Branded pharma revenues to rise 2%-3% in 2014, says Fitch

Revenues for brand-name drugmakers will rise just 2%-3% in 2014, forecasts ratings agency Fitch, but it adds that global pharmaceuticals is still one of its highest-rated industries, and that the sector outlook remains “stable.”  

Moderate pressure from patent expiries, cost-containment policies in the European Union (EU) and weak employment in the US will be only partly offset by uptake of new products and strong growth in emerging markets, it says in a new report, which expects no significant divergence in the trend in profitability between US and EU-based drugmakers next year.

Fitch also believes that industry will find patent expiry levels in 2014 to be “manageable.”

Novartis slashing thousands more jobs in global reorganization

Novartis' 500 Swiss job cuts announced earlier this month are just the tip of a global iceberg. The company plans to cut or shuffle up to 4,000 jobs in its pharma business, with many of the positions moving to a new operations center in Hyderabad, India, a Swiss newspaper reports.

The news comes two weeks after CEO Joe Jimenez pronounced his dissatisfaction with the company's operating margins, and days after two back-to-back job-cutting announcements. And Novartis is in the midst of a worldwide strategic review. "I am not satisfied with operating margins," Jimenez said at an investor conference (as quoted by the NZZ am Sonntag). "We intend to increase these margins over time, and we begin now." 

Soon after, the company announced its Swiss layoffs and rehires.

The top 10 largest pharma layoffs in 2013

Layoffs are always big news in pharma, as they are seen as an indicator of the health of the industry. Companies don't like to have to announce them, but when they decide to, getting plenty of attention becomes important. That is to impress upon investors that their CEOs are making the hard decisions needed to keep costs in line. Of course employees are interested. They know from the inside what is about to happen, and having lived through the awful anticipation, they want to see what the carnage is really going to be.

The patent cliff is often the big culprit. One might think that a one-to-one relationship could be graphed between what is happening with the patent cliff and layoffs, but that is not the case. Pharma analysis company EvaluatePharma has forecast that there

Pharma's Agenda for 2014 by J.P. Morgan

Presenters at the 32^nd annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference talked up value-based pricing, emerging market strategies, complex generics and new technology, from bedside devices and genetic sequencers to first-in-class mechanisms of action. Company executives honed in on their chosen therapeutic areas and made the case for aggressive spending in R&D to bring the next generation of products to market.

Hundreds of pharma, biotech, med device/equipment and insurance providers took one of the conferences’ half dozen stages or microphones to discuss last year’s successes and failures, and likely successes in 2014.

Pfizer's slim-down boosts earnings as Lipitor losses put a damper on sales

Pfizer is on a diet, and it shows. The company ($PFE) pumped up 2013 earnings despite a sizable slide in sales, thanks to layoffs and cost cuts, not to mention the successful spinoff of its animal health business, Zoetis. And it's looking for more of the same for 2014.

Pfizer posted adjusted 2013 earnings of $2.22 per share, a 6% increase year-over-year. On a diluted basis, EPS was $3.19, with the Zoetis spinoff accounting for half of that. Sales-wise, the company put up $51.6 billion, down several percentage points from 2012's $54 billion-plus.

The revenue picture is another chapter in Pfizer's patent-cliff story. As CEO Ian Read explained in a statement, the Lipitor hangover

Novartis to cut 500 pharma jobs, then staff up in OTC, generics

Novartis is reshuffling its cards in Switzerland. To cover new drug launches, both branded and generic, the company is cutting 500 jobs in its pharma division and hiring up elsewhere. It's the latest job-trimming move at the Swiss drugmaker, which has shed thousands of jobs over the last several years.

Four Effective Ways to Enrich Your Career as a Pharmaceutical Representative

You were attracted to the pharmaceutical industry because of the perks of being a representative: you get to travel across the country helping people treat, manage and cure illnesses and conditions. The job relies on your salesmanship and knowledge of the industry. Get a leg up on colleagues and others vying for the same jobs and promotions in the industry by becoming a more knowledgeable, experienced salesperson in the field.

Earn Your Masters

Earn a graduate degree and become more qualified for a better salary and a promotion. There are a number of fields in which a pharmaceutical sales representative could thrive, such as business and marketing, but there are a few more outside of the box, too. Opt for a specialization such as healthcare ethics and join the debate on ethics in the medical field.

Johnson and Johnson Out Ranks All Other Pharma Companies in Social Media Engagement, According to IMS

According to a new report released today by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, nearly half of pharmaceutical companies are now actively using social media -- specifically Facebook, Twitter and YouTube -- to "engage with patients on healthcare-related topics".

IMS points out that only ten companies utilize all three of these major social networking services for healthcare topics. "Many companies are using social media primarily as a unilateral broadcasting channel to physicians and patients, with limited interaction or fostering of discussion," says IMS.