The investment firm Starboard Value acquired a $1bn stake in Pfizer Inc. with a goal of turning the company around, but whether an activist investor can pivot the big pharma onto a growth trajectory remains to be seen.
An Activist Investor Makes A Play For Pfizer
Starboard Value has reportedly bought a $1bn stake in Pfizer with an ambition to turn the big pharma around. But growth, not cost cuts, are Pfizer’s challenge.

More from Strategy
Seeking cell therapy approaches to cure type 1 diabetes, Vertex abandons a candidate encapsulated to avoid immune system detection but hopes to file another candidate for approval in 2026.
A Phase III trial testing the cortisol modulator showed a benefit on PFS and OS in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Senior executives from AstraZeneca, BMS, Novo Nordisk, Takeda and Regeneron outline how big pharma's global capability centers (GCCs) in India are evolving beyond cost efficiency, focusing on innovation, “agile experimentation” and new technology including GenAI, virtual & augmented reality, with some positioned as COEs. Will Indian multinationals use the GCC approach?
Plus deals involving GV20/Mitsubishi Tanabe, Kaken/Alumis, AstraZeneca/Alteogen and deal terminations involving Clover/Gavi Alliance and Rhythm/RareStone.
More from Business
In this week's episode: Merck & Co. licenses Hengrui’s lipid lowerer; Novo gets United’s triple G obesity drug; J&J plans major US manufacturing investments; approval for GSK’s novel antibiotic; and a call for more aggressive Korean M&A activity.
Plus deals involving GV20/Mitsubishi Tanabe, Kaken/Alumis, AstraZeneca/Alteogen and deal terminations involving Clover/Gavi Alliance and Rhythm/RareStone.
The obesity market leader has unveiled its second deal in days, paying $75m upfront for a potential first-in-class ACSL5 inhibitor, while the deal also provides some respite for Lexicon.