The pharmaceutical industry has a hard time saying goodbye to strategic assets. In fact, it’s much more adept at welcoming new ones: diversification – either geographic or into areas beyond pure-play pharmaceuticals – has become commonplace. But pharma needs to overcome its entrenched resistance to asset externalization, which should become a critical third leg in its attempts to build long-term shareholder value. Strategic, almost biotech-like externalization strategies should move from a peripheral to a core part of pharma’s activities. Why haven’t they already been embraced?