Standard & Poors says that the drug industry will have a good year despite public scrutiny of drug prices and generic competition. “Despite near-term uncertainties over pricing and patent expirations, we think pharmaceuticals remains one of the healthiest and widest-margin U.S. industries,” says Herman Saftlas, an S&P analyst. “We see longer-term prospects enhanced by demographic growth in the elderly (accounting for about 33% of industry sales) and by a healthy number of products in the pipeline,” says Saftlas.