Prognosis

Drug Giants Look for Growth Fuel as Older Blockbusters Show Age

  • Cornerstone cancer drugs at Merck, Pfizer see gains level off
  • As hit cancer franchises mature, hunt is on for new standouts
A worker tests a liquid chemical inside of a laboratory at the Pfizer Inc. research and development facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. Pfizer is expected to report quarterly earnings on October 27.Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
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The U.S.’s biggest pharmaceutical companies are beginning to prepare for a new and potentially challenging chapter after reaping the rewards of a fruitful period of cancer research that created new blockbusters.

First-quarter earnings reports on Tuesday from three drug giants showed that sales growth for some of the biggest-selling medicines of recent years is beginning to mature and slow -- and that companies are on the hunt for new therapies to keep their growth engines roaring.