At Pfizer, A Split A Decade In The Making

Pfizer's ambitious plans to spin out its Upjohn branded and generics business will result in a smaller, innovation-focused pharma. The decision comes after nine years of back-and-forth about whether the move would unlock value.

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Pfizer is breaking up the company to focus on innovative pharma

It was back in 2010, when Lipitor was edging close to losing its patent protection, that debate erupted among Pfizer Inc. investors over whether the pharma giant could unlock trapped value by splitting up the company into an innovative, R&D-focused company and a cash-generating established products business. The businesses were reorganized, the decision was considered, delayed, considered again, scrapped in 2016, and now nine years later, it is poised to happen.

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