Patent Cliff Losses Mean Eli Lilly and Company Must Acquire or Be Acquired

Eli Lilly (LLY) will lose the most revenue from its pharmaceuticals during the “patent cliff,” waving goodbye to more than 50 percent of its sales through 2020 as its brand name drugs lose their market exclusivity, according to estimates by Bernstein Research analyst Tim Anderson. AstraZeneca (AZN) and Pfizer (PFE) will fare almost as badly, Anderson predicts. The industry as a whole faces $100 billion in losses as brand names face competition from cheap generic alternatives through 2015.