In this video from Thursday's Market Checkup, Motley Fool health -are analyst David Williamson discusses a number of pharmaceutical companies that have aggressively reshaped themselves recently to deal with the effects of a looming patent cliff. Now, it seems that Merck (MRK 1.68%) may be on the verge of making a similar move. It is rumored that the company's consumer unit may be up for sale, and with such brands as Dr. Scholl's, Claritin, and Coppertone under that umbrella, the news is understandably generating a lot of interest. The potential sale is expected to raise roughly $11 billion
In this segment, David discusses the details of the potential deal, as well as just how far that $11 billion would go in restocking Merck's pipeline. David then takes a look at that pipeline and discusses some of its underrated potential blockbuster candidates.