Pfizer in Buyout Talks with Wyeth

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According to these reports, Big Pharma is going to become Huge Pharma: Pfizer is in buyout talks with Wyeth. The result has seen stocks throughout the pharmaceutical industry on the rise.

One result of the merger would be a stop-loss for when Pfizer's patent on Lipitor runs out... while Pfizer is known for a particular blue pill, Lipitor (a cholesterol-control medicine) accounts for a quarter of its annual revenue. Pfizer also makes Celebrex, an arthritis medication; and Xanax, which was developed to treat panic disorders.

Wyeth isn't a household name, but its flagship pain reliever, Advil, certainly is, as is the Centrum line of multivitamins. You probably have Chapstick in your jacket, as well.

Some of you also may have learned, the hard way, about Wyeth's antivenin for the North American Coral Snake.

There is also talk of layoffs within Pfizer as the recession hits its bottom line; when we hear more about that, we'll post it in the Layoffs Channel.