So everyone watching the pharma business has been hearing about how AstraZeneca has all kinds of problems - drug failures, big patent expirations, too much spending on too little output, one damn thing after another. Well, here's the evidence today. Everyone knew that numbers like these were coming, and here they are.

Sales will fall by a “mid- to high-single digit percentage” at constant exchange rates in 2013, the London- based company said today in a statement. Analysts had estimated a decline of about 3 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company also said earnings fell for a fourth straight quarter and left the annual dividend unchanged. The stock fell the most in nine months.

And things will continue to be. . .challenging:

AstraZeneca has ended nine drug development programs since June 30, including selumetinib for solid tumors, AZD4017 for glaucoma and AZD9773 for severe sepsis, which were in mid-stage trials. In December, the company said fostamatinib, its experimental drug for rheumatoid arthritis, failed to show a benefit against AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)’s Humira in a mid-stage trial.

On the one hand, you want to get rid of such programs before they chew up still more time and money. But on the other hand, you do need something to sell. All this makes a person think that if you're a small company with an asset to sell, that you're going to want to give AZ a call. I think that they'll be ready to deal.