Biotech Banter: Are Scientists Better CEOs?

AstraZeneca (NYS: AZN) recently appointed a new CEO who, besides having a business degree and spending years working in the pharmaceutical industry, was actually trained as a veterinarian. This inspired our health care analysts to wonder whether the most successful chief executives in the big pharma space are actually scientists and clinicians.

In the following video, Max Macaluso and David Williamson look for correlations between professional backgrounds and stock performance at some of the dominant players in big pharma, including Merck (NYS: MRK) , Pfizer (NYS: PFE) , and Eli Lilly (NYS: LLY) .

For nearly 100 years, Merck's cutting-edge research has led to a number of medical breakthroughs. Today, however, this pharma stalwart is staring down a steep patent cliff and facing generic competition for its top-selling drug. Will Merck crumble under its own weight, or will it continue to pay dividends to investors for another century? To find out if this pharma giant has the stamina to keep its Bunsen burners alight, grab your copy of our brand new premium research report today. Our senior biotech analyst Brian Orelli, Ph.D., walks you through both the opportunities and threats facing Merck, and the report comes with a full 12 months of updates. Claim your copy now by clicking here.

The article Biotech Banter: Are Scientists Better CEOs? originally appeared on Fool.com.

David Williamson owns shares of Pfizer. Max Macaluso, Ph.D. has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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