Forest Laboratories Inc (FRX.N) is looking more at earlier-stage products to acquire rather than more advanced ones because it feels confident it can weather the patent expirations of its two biggest medicines, the drugmaker’s finance chief said on Thursday. Forest has one of the most severe “patent cliffs” in the pharmaceutical industry: analysts expect Forest to lose about one-fourth of its revenue after its Lexapro antidepressant loses patent protection early next year. Its Namenda Alzheimer’s drug will lose patent protection in 2015.
