Novartis makes a $10B bet on generic drugs

The Wall Street Journal takes a close look at Novartis' $10 billion investment in the generic drugs business as the pharma giant's CEO, Dr. Daniel Vasella, attempts to meld rival strategies. Critics abound, but Novartis says that with more than half of all prescriptions being written for generics, it's the best way to position the company for long term growth. With some experts predicting that the generics business will almost double to $100 billion in 2010, Novartis aims to control 10 percent of the action. But even at Sandoz, Novartis' generics arm, some wonder if Novartis has an aggressive enough approach.

- read the WSJ's report on Novartis (sub. req.)