Is Pfizer courting Wyeth?

January 23, 2009 – 6:32 pm by Michael Christel

That’s the $60 billion dollar question. You’ve heard the buzz by now, Pfizer, according to a scoop by The Wall Street Journal, is apparently negotiating to buy Wyeth in a deal that could top more than $60 billion. While the report noted nothing is imminent and talks could collapse at any time, a merger of this magnitude would certainly reshape the drug industry as we know it; and surely have ripple effects in R&D as well. A Wyeth spokesman, when reached by R&D Directions, would neither confirm nor deny the report.

“Wyeth’s policy is not to comment on marketplace rumor,� Doug Petkus said from the company’s Collegeville, Pa., office.

Nevertheless, it will still be fun to play the guessing game for the time being. Whether it’s the recent rumors of an Amgen bid and now this bombshell, it’s obvious that Pfizer is intent on making a major splash one way or the other. The reasons have been well documented: offset patent expirations, appease analysts, expand biotech reach.

A Pfizer-Wyeth union would surely make things interesting for R&D, given both companies’ recent research cutbacks. Pfizer, of course, has abandoned its early-stage work in heart disease, while Wyeth has eliminated R&D activities in eighth therapeutic areas, including women’s heath. One would think combining forces would all of a sudden plug up a lot of those new holes.