The Pharma Dispatch - Issue #93

In this issue:

  1. Pharma's data problem

  2. Novartis reports stronger than expected turnaround under new incoming CEO

  3. The Trump tax cuts and pharma

  4. Dissecting returns from T-Cell therapy M&A

  5. How Snapchat is helping one doctor transform medical training

Pharma's Data Problem

David Shaywitz explores the cultural and technical barriers to creating effective datasets for pharma companies to develop drugs "faster, cheaper, and better."

via Forbes

Novartis Reports Strong Results

Swiss pharma giant Novartis' incoming CEO, Vas Narasimhan, outlined an ambitious and rosy-eyed prospect for the company in the coming years during an earnings calls Wednesday. Narasimhan predicted 12 "major" product launches in the next two years while reporting a better-than-expected $12.9 billion in net revenues in the fourth quarter of 2017. Two treatments Novartis expects to grow dramatically? Entresto, a heart failure drug, and Cosentyx, used to treat psoriasis.

The Trump Tax Cuts and Pharma

U.S. pharma giant Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday that it will be taking a $13.6 billion charge and repatriating billions of dollars to the United States as a result of the GOP tax law signed by President Donald Trump last year. It's that latest in a string of major pharmaceutical announcements regarding the law—and the biggest one announced to date, leap-frogging Amgen.

via Reuters

Dissecting Returns From T-Cell Therapy M&A

There is “no one size fits all” for how to build business models that can work in biotech these days, even to get to similar product and patient outcomes. While Kite and Juno have remarkably similar products, similar platforms, and similar overall acquisition valuations, the stories were built quite differently when it comes to financing their growth.

How Snapchat Is Helping Medical Training

Shafi Ahmed dons a pair of digital sunglasses and explains how the tiny lenses built into its black plastic frame, which can capture high-resolution images, are transforming how doctors get trained in operating rooms.