Big Pharma aims to cast off old drugs to raise $42B for higher-profit R&D efforts

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Sanofi, Merck, and Abbott Laboratories are all planning to sell off portfolios of drugs that have lost their patent protection. The proceeds from such sales could be significant–$7 billion for Sanofi, $15 billion for Merck, and $5 billion for Abbott. Add in AstraZeneca, whose CEO proposed deals for its neuroscience and anti-infectives businesses, and you have another $15 billion in potential proceeds–a total of $42 billion.