All posts by medical

Israelis Use Their Time in Quarantine to Binge-Watch Grey’s Anatomy and Fauda – CTech

As tens of thousands of Israelis remain in quarantine, with many more staying at home at the governments directive as the number of confirmed coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the country continues to rise, at least one Israeli industry is seeing increased activity: television and cable services.

According to Cellcom, which has more than 250,000 households subscribed to its media service, the most popular television shows this month were Outlander, The Outsider, The Good Fight, Young Sheldon, and All Rise. Its most popular movies in March were Long Shot, John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum, A Star Is Born, First Man, and Mission: Impossible Fallout.

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Israelis Use Their Time in Quarantine to Binge-Watch Grey's Anatomy and Fauda - CTech

Greys Anatomy season 17: Is Greys Anatomy coming to an end? One star thinks so – Express

He added: As I move on from Greys Anatomy, I want to thank the ABC family, Shonda Rhimes, original cast members Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson and James Pickens, and the rest of the amazing cast and crew, both past and present, and, of course, the fans for an extraordinary ride.

In a number of letters sent to loved ones including his wife Dr Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and lifelong friend Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), he said he was back in touch with ex-wife Dr Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl).

They had got back in touch after Meredith was on trial for insurance fraud and during their conversations, he discovered there was something she hadnt told him.

Before she left the series, Izzie had cancer and so, just in case she couldnt have children one day, her and Alex froze embryos and when she left the hospital, decided to use them.

The pair had twin five-year-old children together so he opted in to stay with his new family on a farm in Kansas, leaving his wife and the hospital behind.

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Greys Anatomy season 17: Is Greys Anatomy coming to an end? One star thinks so - Express

Greys Anatomy season 16, episode 18 cast: Who is in the guest cast of latest episode? – Express

Kyle - Josh Kelly

The medical drama will also be introducing a new character called Kyle, who will be played by Josh Kelly.

According to Soaps.com, Kelly will take on the role of an army veteran named Kyle who threatens to blow up a pawn shop in Station 19.

This means there may be some crossover with the new episode of Greys Anatomy.

Kelly is best-known for playing Cutter Wentworth on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.

Finally, the guest cast will be completed by Gail Bean starring as Catlin in the episode.

Bean played Wanda in Snowfall, Rasheeda in Insecure and will next be starring as Gynnifer Green in Paradise Lost.

Greys Anatomy season 16 airs on Thursdays on ABC.

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Greys Anatomy season 16, episode 18 cast: Who is in the guest cast of latest episode? - Express

X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Cyclops’ Body, Explained – CBR – Comic Book Resources

When it comes to understanding mutant superpowers, few seem quite as straightforward asX-Men leader,Cyclops.However, when one really thinks about the questions involved with his optic beams, such as where the energy comes from or how his neck accommodates the force it's putting out, suddenly his powers aren't so cut-and-dry.

Dig into the anatomy of Cyclops, and you might just find that there's a whole lot more than meets the eye.

RELATED:5 Reasons Jean Grey Is Perfect For Cyclops (& 5 It's Emma Frost)

One of the most puzzling problems with Cyclops' powers is whether they work with Newtonian physics. If every action creates an equal and opposite reaction, then you would think that every time Cyclops fires a beam of mountain-destroying force, his head or body would get flung backwards from the blast. The explanation for whythis doesn't happen is contained in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

While the comics themselves rarely go into it, Cyclops' optic beams actually come from an alternate non-Einsteinian dimension of near limitless power. His eyes only serve as apertures to that space, meaning they're like little portals that the energy pours out of rather than a force his eyes produce. That's the explanation from the handbooks, at least, but there's a bit more to it than that.

RELATED:The X-Men's WEIRDEST Villain Just Took Down the Avengers' Nemesis

The alternate explanation Marvel offers for the source of Cyclops' power is solar radiation, explaining that his body passively absorbs all the energy it needs from the Sun and stores it inhisbody like a battery. This seems to be the working theory for the character in the comics themselves rather than the handbook, as frequent usage of his powers can drain Cyclops' power reserves in a way that doesn't quite jibe with the "portals to the punch dimension" explanation fans and handbooks like to throw around.

What's interesting is that Cyclops actually protects himself from his optic beams with a psionic field his mind unconsciously generates. His skin blocks or absorbs all of the energy so he does not pose a danger to himself. If he's clutching at his face, he just needs to be careful to close his fingers or else the beams will shoot through the cracks!

RELATED:The X-Men Just Proved Why They're Their Own Worst Enemies... Again

Fans of the character are likely familiar with his origin, which, in typical Scott Summers fashion, is extremely weird. As a child his parents were on a crashing plane (that was actually being attacked by aliens) and Scott and his brother Alex leapt from the wreckage. Scott's landing was a lot harsher than Alex's, so he suffered some brain damage that would prove his greatest curse once his powers developed.

At first, it seemed it was only because of the brain damage that Cyclops could not turn his powers on and off. The parts of his brain responsible for managing his powers were irreparably destroyed. Later, the comics revealedScott's limitations were all psychosomatic. Emma Frost was able to treat the disability with therapy and inX-Factor,Mr. Sinister instilled subconscious blocks against Scott using his powers against Sinister himself.

RELATED:X of Swords: Cable Just Teased Marvels Next X-Men Event

Out of the two explanations for the source of Cyclops' powers, the "battery" theory seems a lot more likely than the "portal" theory because of just how exhausted and fatigued Cyclops can get. While the handbook refers to Cyclops' limits as a purely mental block, time and again Cyclops strains himself to the end of his rope and nearly passes out from producing as powerful a beam as possible.Despite that, the "limits" to Cyclops' powers prove inconsistent.

In one issue, his limits may stop at busting through a barrier, while another may have him casually output enough destructive force to destroy a swath of forest and the Sentinel within it. It makes more sense to say he just has varying levels of power than to say he arbitrarily feels fatigued from one feat to the next -- especially since it's unclear just how much power he can absorb.

Much like Scott's own body, his family's bodies can harmlessly absorb the optic beams he produces. Any time Scott and his brother Alex fought, it meant Cyclops could never quite get a leg up through raw power alone. Of course, the reverse also holds true -- Scott's own body absorbs Havok's power beams just as easily. The two normally need to duke it out with their fists rather than their energy beams and their immunity to one another's powers is even a recurring trend with other mutant families like Banshee and Black Tom Cassidy.

KEEP READING:Marvel Resurrects The X-Men's Original Time-Traveling [SPOILER]

Hammer Time: Every Avenger Who's Lifted Thor's Hammer

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X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Things About Cyclops' Body, Explained - CBR - Comic Book Resources

COVID-19 And Social Isolation: An Immunology Expert Weighs In – Yahoo Entertainment

COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019, first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. The illness and the virus that causes it is highly infectious and has spread rapidly across the globe, afflicting thousands worldwide, and prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Are you involved in a story making headlines?

How afraid should we be? What are the facts?

WATCH: Social Epidemiologist Offers Tips To Slow Down The Spread Of Virus That Causes COVID-19

Ive invited some of the leading experts in the medical world to help dispel the myths and bring the facts to the surface so we can remain informed, and above all, safe, says Dr. Phil.

Discussing efforts to curb the spread of the virus through methods such as social isolation, Paula Cannon, Ph.D., professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at USCs Keck School of Medicine, says, If we can do something that may help, we should do it.

In the video above, she and Dr. Patrick Johnson, neurosurgeon and co-director of the Spine Practice at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, discuss the origins, spread, and containment of the disease.

Check here to find out where you can watch Tuesdays episode as Dr. Phil and his guests address concerns regarding the evolving health crisis.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) website at cdc.gov.

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COVID-19 And Social Isolation: An Immunology Expert Weighs In - Yahoo Entertainment

Immunology experts slam government’s ‘herd immunity’ approach to tackling Covid-19 – Wales Online

Immunology experts have slammed what they have described as the UK Government's "herd immunity" approach to tackling Covid-19 .

Professor Arne Akbar, president of the British Society for Immunology , has written an open letter to the government to voice "significant questions" about the strategy proposed.

In his letter, Mr Akbar wrote: "The world faces a huge challenge in light of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

"The UKs public health strategy differs from many other countries, with an aim to build herd immunity to protect the population.

"Within the immunology community, we have significant questions about this strategy. The ultimate aim of herd immunity is to stop disease spread and protect the most vulnerable in society.

"However, this strategy only works to reduce serious disease if, when building that immunity, vulnerable individuals are protected from becoming ill, for example through social distancing. If not, the consequences could be severe."

Additionally, Mr Akbar added there are "many unknowns in how the SARS-CoV-2 virus interacts with the human immune system and how this might play into current scenarios".

"For example, we dont yet know if this novel virus will induce long-term immunity in those affected as other related viruses do not," he wrote.

"Therefore, it would be prudent to prevent infection in the first place. More research is urgently needed on this front.

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"The UK leads the world for the quality of our immunology research. Given our current lack of knowledge on SARS-CoV-2, our community of immunologists have two asks. Firstly, we feel more needs to be done to ensure social distancing to limit the number of COVID-19 cases in the short term, especially for vulnerable members of our communities.

"This will enable us to buy time until we understand the virus better and can begin to develop therapeutics.

"Secondly, to aid efforts, we call on the government to release their modelling data to allow scrutiny from the scientific community to better predict the course of this outbreak.

"We have a small window of opportunity to protect our nation, to learn about this new emerging virus and to deal with this unprecedented threat to global health."

The UK Government has been approached for comment.

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Immunology experts slam government's 'herd immunity' approach to tackling Covid-19 - Wales Online

VERIFY: The risk of contracting coronavirus from groceries, mail remains low – WTHR

WASHINGTON (WUSA) QUESTION:

Is there a high risk of contracting the novel coronavirus from your groceries or mail?

ANSWER:

No, the risk of coming into contact from your groceries or mail remains low, according to health experts. After touching any surface, you should wash your hands before touching your face.

SOURCES:

Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar- Chair of George Washington University's Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine.

Dr. Robin Petal- Director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, Chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology and Director of its Bacteriology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.

World Health Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

USPS spokesperson

UPS spokesperson

FedEx spokesperson

PROCESS:

A lot has been written about the necessity to avoid frequently-touched surfaces and emphasizing the need to wash your hands.

Health officials have underscored the need to disinfect tables, doorknobs, light switches, phones and sinks regularly. But what about surfaces that are less obvious like letters and packaged food from the grocery store?

A viewer reached out to the Verify team and asked if she should be disinfecting things like packaged food or letters.

So were verifying: Is there a high risk of catching coronavirus from your groceries or mail?

Our Verify researchers spoke with two microbiology experts Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar from the George Washington University and Dr. Robin Patel of Mayo Clinic.

"All the surfaces at this point, we should consider as infected or contaminated," Maggirwar said.

Dr. Sanjay Maggirwar leads George Washington's Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine.

He says compared to something like a public doorknob, groceries are a much lower risk.

Most likely, it was handled just once or twice by the person, and these days, the person is probably wearing gloves," Maggirwar said. "So the level of the virus to an infectious state would be a lot less.

Patel agreed that contracting the virus from packaged food or mail was "extraordinarily unlikely as a root of transmission."

"You don't become infected just by touching surfaces," Patel said. "You become infected because you touched a surface and the virus got on your hand and then you inoculated your mouth, your nose or eyes with that virus."

That's why it's crucial to avoid touching your face and practicing good hygiene, like washing your hands.

Right now neither the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nor World Health Organization say anything about wiping down your groceries with disinfecting wipes.

What about touching mail?

Our Verify researchers spoke with the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx. Theyre all looking to leaders like the CDC and WHO for guidance.

The WHO and CDC say coronaviruses dont survive very long on objects, such as letters or packages.

"The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low, and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low," WHO said.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease, addressed the question of packages specifically.

She said, In general, because of the poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, thats in the range of hours, theres likely a very, very, very low if any risk of spread from products or packaging that is shipped over a period of days or weeks in ambient temperatures.

So we can Verify risk is low of catching the virus through your mail or groceries.

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VERIFY: The risk of contracting coronavirus from groceries, mail remains low - WTHR

How to keep your immune system healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, according to experts – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dont get your hopes up that theres any over-the-counter fix that will leave you unscathed by the new pandemic. Three immunologists Timothy Craig, a professor of medicine and pediatrics in allergy and immunology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center; Cathryn Nagler, a mucosal immunologist at the University of Chicago and distinguished fellow of the American Association of Immunologists, and John Wherry, director of the Institute of Immunology at Penn Medicine said theres no strong evidence that any herb or supplement, including vitamin C, will prevent coronavirus. Like drinking water, taking most of them probably wont hurt you, but also wont help. Probiotics also wont save you. Colloidal silver can be harmful.

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How to keep your immune system healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, according to experts - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Multi-food Oral Immunotherapy Found to Be Safe and Effective – Benzinga

MILWAUKEE, March 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Combining multiple food allergies into a single oral immunotherapy course is as safe and effective as single food immunotherapy, according to research scheduled for presentation at the 2020 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting before it was cancelled due to the situation with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A retrospective review was used to complete the study, looking at patients who started peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) from April 2014 through September 2018 and patients undergoing multi-food OIT from February 2015 through September 2018. Diagnostic allergy testing was encouraged every year and reactions requiring epinephrine were recorded.

Multi-food patients were treated with an average of 2.4 foods (with individual options ranging from two to four foods in one OIT course). Patients on both forms of therapy were placed on a dosing schedule with the eventual goal of reaching maintenance dosing. According to the study, 85% of peanut OIT patients reached their maintenance dose compared to 80% of those on multi-food OIT. The median amount of time it took to reach the maintenance dose was 245 days for peanut OIT and 231 days for multi-food OIT patients.

"What we discovered is that instead of cycling through multiple six to 10 month single food courses, we can safely combine multiple foods into one OIT course," said Hugh H. Windom, MD, FAAAAI. "This gives patients with multiple food allergies more options when it comes to treatment plans."

Epinephrine was used in 13% of patients undergoing peanut OIT and 8% of multi-food OIT patients during the first year of treatment. This is consistent with published reports, and there were no reports of severe anaphylaxis. The most common reason for stopping OIT in both groups was non-compliance and delayed gastrointestinal symptoms. This further indicates that overall, there were little differences in effectiveness and safety when comparing single food OIT to multi-food OIT.

Visit aaaai.org to learn more about OIT. This research was published in an online supplement to The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has over 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI's Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

SOURCE The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

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Multi-food Oral Immunotherapy Found to Be Safe and Effective - Benzinga

AbbVie Is Your Egg In The Basket Now – Seeking Alpha

Summary

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV), the pharmaceutical giant, recently took a knock from the delay in the proposed acquisition of Allergan (NYSE:AGN) amid fears of an anti-trust case. But if approved, the impending takeover of $63 billion is likely to take place later in the year after the preliminary investigations by the FTC. The investigation seeks to evaluate if the new entity, will create an uneven playing field within its industry through gaining too much power over the competition.

AbbVie has seen its revenues of Humira declining in Europe as the company faces biosimilar competition in the region, with the trend expanding into the third quarter, which has reinforced the need to diversify. If Allergan is onboarded, we believe AbbVie would be able to attain single-digit top-line growth in the coming years, and the new portfolio will set the company for a healthy mix of more modern medicines.

The Allergan merger: Bought at a discount and already approved by the EU.

Since the announcement in June last year, the company saw a retreat in the market as the stock price went down. And it has yet to recover from the sentiment around the takeover. But the impending takeover of Allergan will certainly position AbbVie at the top of the market and as a leader in immunology. With the EU has approved the merger, the ball is now with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as they review the transaction. The company is, however, confident that the deal will be concluded in the second half of the year; a prediction that we support.

Based on our view, the justification for the takeover is that AbbVie needs to diversify and become less dependent on Humira as the market will not be able to wade off competition beyond 2023. AbbVie also seems to have gotten Allergan at a hugely discounted price. The Allergan stock has suffered a devaluation on the stock market since its 2015 glory. With a failed merger with Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), AbbVie is getting in for less than a fraction of what Pfizer would have paid. And taking into consideration all the synergies that this merger poses to AbbVie, we believe this deal can turn out to be a real winner for the company.

New drugs approvals keep coming in

Another win for the company has been the approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the new rheumatoid arthritis drug, Rinvoq, which widens the portfolio for AbbVie. The new pill will see the company sharing the pie with Pfizer's Xeljanz and Eli Lilly's (NYSE:LLY) Olumiant. AbbVie also has a chance to successfully launch its plaque psoriasis treatment Skyrizi. If the company successfully spins the launch and also adds the cosmetic solution from Allergan to the mix, the company will have the recipe for accelerated growth and a potential rebound of its stock.

Botox and other cosmetic products might surprise

If the merger is approved, we also believe that the wrinkle eraser Botox could result in higher than expected growth for AbbVie as the target market presents fewer challenges than those facing the pharmaceutical industry as products are paid off by clients, not their medical insurance, and less regulated. The fact is that AbbVie plans to launch a subsidiary for these types of products, Allergan Aesthetics, under the umbrella of the AbbVie-Allergan merger. The business will pave the way for increasing sales of cosmetic Botox as well as products such as dermal fillers, and chin-fat-fighters.

Hence, there are several benefits from the pending merger. First, we have the synergies related to the increased dominance of AbbVie in immunology. Secondly, we'll see the resources and sales channels to boost revenue streams across all product portfolios. Thirdly, we expect aesthetics products from Allergan to strengthen the brand recognition of the new entity. We also see improved sales of aesthetics as resources are concentrated in a special subsidiary, Allergan Aesthetics, and can make use of more powerful distribution channels.

The synergistic benefits of the merger will likely exceed expectations as the company enters into a new therapeutic area, aesthetics, and it is unlikely that competitors will have such a broad portfolio to boast of.

Figure 1: AbbVie Income Statement and Balance Sheet

Source: Morningstar

AbbVie has witnessed marginal revenue growth over the period from 2017. The revenue is dominated by the top three brands, which are Humira, Imbruvica, and Mavyret, which contributed around 82% of the revenue, and there is a need to diversify as the company's largest revenue earner soon will face increased competition from cheaper alternatives in the U.S.

Through diversification, concentration risk will decrease, which, in turn, will benefit the company in the long run. The balance sheet has also grown over the period. However, there is a reliance on debt as it has almost doubled from the 2017 value of $37 billion to $66 billion.

AbbVie also lost 10% shortly after the announcement of the Allergan deal, which is somewhat favorable as Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Takeda (NYSE:TAK) were down by 16% and 32%, respectively, shortly after they made their respective M&A advances.

Figure 2: AbbVie Cash Flow

Source: Morningstar

AbbVie maintained the operating cash flow within the same band for 2018 and 2019 but saw a drastic decline in its financing cash flow from a 2017 figure of -$5 billion to a 2018 figure of -$14 billion satisfying a buyback strategy authorized in January 2018. The buyback indicates strength in the company's liquid resources and signals the potential for a rebound for its stock. As seen in Figure 3, AbbVie is certainly a share buyback leader of its industry. This is something we highly appreciate.

Figure 3: AbbVie share buybacks

Source: Gurufocus

The share buybacks should have a positive impact on the share price, as share buybacks increase the ownership proportion per share.

The strategic position of AbbVie together with recent approvals with regards to new products should set the company on a growth path. However, the path of the general stock market is currently highly dependent on the resolution of the coronavirus pandemic.

Our valuation analysis considers three different scenarios for AbbVie for the projected timeline: (i) high-growth period (2020-2024); (ii) convergence to a mature growth (2025-2029); and (iii) a perpetual growth, considering inflation rate and GDP growth.

We used the 10-Year Discounted Free Cash Flow to Shares Model with the following inputs:

FCF to Shares was calculated based on the free cash flow and corresponding shares outstanding in 2019, $12.772 billion and 1.485 billion, respectively, resulting in a ratio of 8.60.

The discount rate was assumed to be Damodaran's average cost of equity from the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.

We have established three different growth rates for our timeline, taking into consideration the resumption of growth described in our catalyst analysis due to the recent developments and the probable and lucrative acquisition deal, which would increase the company's cash flow substantially in the next years.

For the initial five years (2020-2024), we believe AbbVie could perform, at least, equal to the 5-year Damodaran's average net income CAGR from the pharmaceutical industry. Hence, we mixed the global and United States rates in a proportion of 50%/50%, resulting in a high-growth scenario of 6.34%.

From 2025 to 2029, we forecast AbbVie to converge to mature growth. This is partly because industries tend to be more competitive over time, especially for pharmaceuticals. We, therefore, use a growth rate equal to half of the growth from the high-growth scenario, meaning 3.17%. Perpetual growth is set at 2.5%, below global GDP projections to account for a long-run slowdown.

Table 1: Discounted FCF to Shares

Source: HedgeMix Limited

Our valuation model yields a target price of $222. Hence, based on our valuation, the stock is currently trading at a considerable discount.

However, it's important to notice that the current market conditions are extraordinary due to the current coronavirus crisis and that macroeconomic developments will affect the performance of the stock market. Hence, for risk-averse investors, a potential strategy could be to create a market-neutral stock portfolio where you hold a short position in the overall market index of equal size as your primary portfolio. This can be a viable option at the moment.

The rhetoric over potential drug pricing charges poses a legitimate risk associated with investing in pharmaceutical stocks right now. While there is a possibility of the risk materializing, the company is also making strides to ensure that price hikes are maintained within single-digit increments.

While the European Commission has given the green light to the AbbVie-Allergan merger, the US counterparts are still reviewing the possibility of an anti-competition position, and the findings may prolong the integration if other conditions are set.

The pending integration with Allergan certainly also presents unforeseen problems as the two entities are culturally different, which can result in a culture clash. The risks associated with a merger can be overcome by effectively managing the integration and relationship aspects of the merger.

This month came with positive news for AbbVie as the coast is clearer with regards to the pending merger with Allergan (it just received the final EU approval).

The purpose of the acquisition is for AbbVie to ensure that the company diversifies and successfully complements its primary revenue earner Humira with an arsenal of new products. On top of this, we expect powerful synergies in distribution, brand recognition, and market position to prevail.

Currently, AbbVie is heavily reliant on Humira, which accounted for nearly 58% of sales in 2019, and in 2023, it will lose its patent protection. Hence, the timing of the merger would be perfect. A diversified AbbVie has the chance to remain a leader in immunology, and with a solid pipeline of new cancer drugs, it certainly will increase market share in oncology. Venclexta is likely to open avenues for AbbVie as it picks up additional approvals in the treatment of leukemia.

Finally, AbbVie has maintained a robust share buyback strategy, making it a share buyback leader of its industry. This should have a positive impact on the share price, as share buybacks increase the ownership proportion per share.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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AbbVie Is Your Egg In The Basket Now - Seeking Alpha