With only weeks to go in 2022, the three major pharmas each had inked between 16 and 20 deals. Meanwhile, Pfizer has been less busy with 12 deals, but those include M&A totaling $18.2bn.

Merck & Co. chief medical officer Eliav Barr talks with Scrip about the generational leadership change under way at the company, Merck's next oncology plays and its bold plan to rebuild a cardiovascular franchise.

With pharma sales up 13% in Q3, questions mount about investments in its pipeline to diversify beyond Keytruda and keep the momentum going after its top seller faces biosimilars in 2028. 

Big Pharma companies are remaining ‘disciplined’ about their M&A deals, with Merck & Co apparently shying away from a $40bn gamble on Seagen, but the need for replenished pipelines remains.