There are two dominant types of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity across the pharmaceutical industry at the moment. The first is big pharma divestment whereby companies are refocusing on their core competencies and selling off assets in other areas where they do not have the internal demand for resources. In many cases the seller maintains access to these assets and simply allows another company to takeover the day-to-day operations.

Moving forward there are tough decisions to be made in terms of site rationalisation. Industry consolidation is inevitable.

The second is consolidation, predominantly among contract service providers. In this case competitors are buying competitors or large CDMOs are buying smaller players that complement their existing service offering.

In this panel discussion at CPhI WorldWid 2018, our Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Mark Quick, discusses the current M&A landscape and what the future is likely to bring. He also discusses the key to a successful M&A strategy and the importance of effective communication throughout the process.

You can watch the full discussion here: