- Merck (NYSE:MRK) is looking to shakeup its struggling R&D division by establishing a "scientific presence" in Boston, San Francisco, London, and Shanghai.
- The company will reportedly setup "innovation hubs" in these regions in order to "actively [seek] external scientific innovation to bolster [the] pipeline."
- Other big pharma names like Pfizer and J&J have adopted similar initiatives in the past.
- "The moves would represent a significant shift for MRK, making it more receptive to external opportunities and less wedded to in-house handling of the entire life cycle of a drug's development," WSJ says.