Pfizer Management Braces for Starboard Value's Turnaround Pitch

Pfizer, the pharmaceutical giant, is facing a critical juncture as it grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. With revenue and share price slumping, activist investor Starboard Value has stepped in, offering a turnaround strategy to revive the company's fortunes. Pfizer's management, led by CEO Albert Bourla, is set to meet with Starboard's CEO Jeff Smith and partner Patrick Sullivan to discuss their proposals, as reported by The Financial Times.


Starboard Value, with a stake worth around $1 billion in Pfizer, believes the company has been mismanaged following the pandemic. The investor's exact pitch remains unclear, but sources suggest it may include divesting or restructuring some of Pfizer's recent acquisitions, such as Seagen and Global Blood Therapeutics. These acquisitions, totaling over $70 billion, have faced setbacks, with Oxbryta's withdrawal from global markets and the termination of an RSV antiviral drug development.


Pfizer's revenue decline is also attributed to falling sales of its COVID products and external challenges like the Inflation Reduction Act. The Act will slash the list price of Eliquis, Pfizer's blockbuster blood thinner, by 56% in 2026. To combat these issues, Pfizer has implemented cost-cutting measures, including a multi-year program to reduce the cost of goods sold and an enterprise-wide cost realignment program. These initiatives have resulted in layoffs across the company, with recent cuts in North Carolina manufacturing plants.

Starboard Value's proposed strategy aims to address Pfizer's post-COVID revenue decline. However, the investor's plans for improving cost management and operational efficiency, as well as the role envisioned for CEO Albert Bourla in the turnaround strategy, remain unclear. As Pfizer management engages with Starboard Value, the pharmaceutical giant will need to demonstrate a compelling turnaround plan to reassure investors and restore shareholder confidence.