Israeli & Canadian Pharmaceutical Companies Leapfrog their way to the top Teva, Valeant VRX game changing drugs ms

Attention investors: take a long hard look at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Jerusalem and Valeant Pharmaceutricals of Montreal - you won't regret it !

Just last week nyse:TEVA paid $40.4 billion for Allergan's nyse:AGN generic drug business giving the world's largest generic drug maker an even bigger international presence (Allergan was/is present in more than 100 countries).

This also gives them more leverage because more revenue spreads fixed costs over more units of output - which is important in the business of low margin generic drugs.

Though ms drug Copaxone faces increased competition from Novartis and Momenta among others, their proprietary brand continues to grow (last quarter both in terms of sales +12% = 50% of company profit and about a fifth of company revenue) and share of the market for MS prescriptions (31%) - thanks in part to more innovative ways of introducing the drug to patients (3X a week 40mg version vs 6X by competing brands).  And don't forget about the over-the-counter products - Teva has hugely benefited from key partnerships with companies like Proctor and Gamble and even Canada's Life brand (Shoppers Drug Mart).  For instance in Canada products include sea salt for baths.

Another overlooked aspect of the company - it is deeply rooted in Israel and has strong connections with Israeli universities - this is key since these institutions are credited with having developed important drugs such as Copaxone and Azilect.

Financials - Teva was doing well even before taking into considering recent acquisitions - in GAAP terms operating income and net income more than doubled last year despite revenue being stable.  All major metrics have been stable since 2010 with non GAAP earnings per share up steadily : 4.54 in 2010, 4.97 in 2011, 5.01 in 2013 to 5.14 in 2014.

Teva - making Israel proud : The deal for Allergan is the biggest in Israel's corporate history !

Valeant Pharmaceuticals nyse: VRX - merging its way to the top one company at a time - acquiring game changing drugs

According to CEO Mike Pearson, Valeant remains focused on medium sized acquisitions - this, despite the fact that the more recent deals have been game changing (Salix Pharmaceuticals ltd for $10.1 billion) and the tug-of-war for control of privately held botox maker Allergan plc.

July 2015 - Just this month Valeant took control of one of Egypt's leading drugmakers Amoun Pharmaceutical by taking over parent company Mercury Holdings ($800 million deal).


Positives

• Getting Xifaxan approval from the US FDA (treatment of irritable bowel syndrome).
• Product diversity - portfolio is made up of hundreds of different drugs.  Though as an entity the company formed in the 1990's the history of its predecessors goes back to 1960.
•  Acquisitions have truly been global - Medicis of Arizona ($2.6 billion), Natur Produkt of Russia ($163 million), Bausch and Lomb of New York ($10 billion), Precision Dermatology ($500 million), the list goes on.
• Distribution partnership with Nestle (as of 2014).
• Deal for Bausch and Lomb gave it entry into China (2013).

Seraphim's opinion - the company is among the most active in M&A and that will continue into the foreseeable future.  An advantageous tax structure helps it do so as well as a board with an appetite for growing through mergers and acquisitions.  They also hold the patent rights to important drugs (viral).