Maven: Pfizer's Future

The Economist wasn't much better. In "Bitter Pill," it posits that the failure can actually be a good thing in the long term, by becoming the impetus that makes the bureaucratic Pfizer adopt embattled CEO Jeffrey Kindler's new strategy for the firm, which is due to be unveiled in January. The article's ever-hopeful kicker: "But torcetrapib's failure could be the bitter medicine that Pfizer's entrenched bureaucracy needs to make it accept changes."

Sort of Kindler's rope-a-dope. Forgive me if I'm unconvinced.

Forbes was more responsible, if just as shameless. After Pfizer's now infamous analyst/investor/media conference at which it trumpeted its prospects, Forbes fell for it as badly as anyone, running excited stories and not calling into question how a company that had just laid off its sales force 48 hours before the meet could be so happy about future prospects.

Today, though, in a story called ("Holy ride both sides of a story, Batman!") "Pfizer's Warning Signs," Forbes starts the important business of figuring out what Pfizer possibly knew and probably should have known. And it also touches on why some of the troubles found could mean challenges for other drug firms, including Merck(MRK Quote).

Business Week weighs in with "The Big Rethink at Pfizer." In terms of the big question of whether the company can reorganize its way to success, as best as I can tell, the verdict here is a big old "Who knows?"

The Business Press Maven knows. With such vagueness in the air in the post-mortems of Pfizer's worst week ever, buying here could damage your portfolio's health.