Big Pharma Has a Case of Merger Mania

Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing

The Motley Fool

Investing, Business

4.3 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2026

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It hasn’t been in many headlines (thanks, AI), but pharmaceutical companies are on a merger & acquisition spree that could break records. With more than $126 billion in deals so far this year, companies are looking for novel drug canddiates and clinical stage companies to bolster their own development pipeline. We’ll take a dive into what’s driving this M&A frenzy and what companies look interesting in the pharmaceutical space today.Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss:- Big Pharma using big wallets for M&A- Who’s at risk of running off a patent cliff- Regulatory changes adding fuel to the fire- Companies doing great for patients (and investors)- Mailbag: Is Pfizer ok? Companies discussed: LLY, MRK, UTHR, ASND, PFE, ABBV, GSK, NVO, RHHBYHost: Tyler CroweGuests: Matt Frankel, Lou WhitemanEngineer: Bart Shannon Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We’re committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Big Pharma is in a buying mood today on Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing.
0:11.4	Welcome to Motley Fool Hidden Gems Investing.
0:15.5	I'm your host, Tyler Crowe, and today I'm joined by longtime Fool contributors, Lou Whiteman and McFrank.
0:26.1	Now, it's Tuesday. I know the markets. It's down quite a bit. I think a NASDAQ's down about 2% as we are taping. But hey, you know what? volatile times, markets are going to market.
0:31.6	Today, we're going to dive into the pharmaceutical industry and specifically the seemingly
0:36.3	large wave of M&A that we've seen
0:39.0	in recent months.
0:40.7	We're also going to hit some mailbag questions specific to the pharmaceutical industry
0:44.5	and kind of look at some of the companies in this industry that we think are doing incredibly
0:48.4	well.
0:49.4	Now, at first, I thought this was some weird coincidence of seeing several deal announcements
0:54.7	in the deal section of the Wall Street Journal recently, but so far, 2026 has been a banner
0:59.3	year for M&A in the pharmaceutical industry.
1:02.3	Here's a fascinating stat, guys, on this wave.
1:06.1	So far this year, there have been more deals of $1 billion and more than all of 2025.
1:13.3	Now, I'm sure there's lots of reasons we could go into a lot of them.
1:17.2	But for each of you guys, what are some of the things that you're seeing that's driving
1:21.1	this seemingly massive wave of consolidation, Lou?
1:24.7	Yeah, so there's always a lot of reasons, as you say.
1:26.9	But I do think there are a lot of
1:28.2	trends just that are converging right now to fuel this consolidation.
1:32.0	First, we have a looming patent cliff kind of all over the industry.
	...

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