Mylan’s full year 2019 earnings report was its last as an independent company, so the focus was on the coming merger with Pfizer’s Upjohn and growth prospects for the new company, Viatris.

Hours before the US FDA confirmed the first drug shortage due to active pharmaceutical ingredient constraints because of the coronavirus situation in China, generics industry leader Mylan came under pressure about the potential impact on its business. 

Allergan has tried to go after alopecia in the past; Exicure brings a new spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology. In other recent deals, AstraZeneca sells Seroquel, Losec rights to Germany’s Cheplapharm.

CheckMate-9LA testing nivolumab plus ipilimumab plus chemo was stopped early due to a survival win. The promise of another foothold in first-line lung cancer could buoy investors ahead of what could be disappointing Q3 sales.

AbbVie now has both of its Humira successors approved in the US, following April’s Skyrizi approval for psoriasis. But Rinvoq faces stiff competition both within the JAK1 class and in rheumatoid arthritis generally.

As earnings season reaches its peak, Merck, Lilly, Gilead, Amgen and Sanofi release their second quarter results. Business development remains a dominant theme.