India's new patent law, that will prevent domestic pharmaceutical
manufacturers from making low-cost generic copies of in-patent
drugs - has finally been passed by the lower house of the country's
parliament, writes Phil...
The world's number one pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, is to close
a plant in Michigan, US, as part of a drive to reduce its global
manufacturing capacity.
Perrigo, a US manufacturer of nonprescription drugs and nutritional
products, has completed its acquisition of Agis Industries, the
second largest drug company in Israel, for $818m.
In France, sales of generic drugs are continuing to grow, helped by
a favourable regulatory regime and a wave of patent expiries on top
branded drugs, reports Phil Taylor.
As the US Food and Drug Administration continues its deliberations
on generic biopharmaceuticals, the industry body representing
generic drug manufacturers has said that the time has now come for
the agency to make some hard decisions,...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is gearing up to publish
its final guidance on the submission of pharmacogenomic data
alongside drug marketing applications, first disseminated in draft
form in 2003, reports Phil Taylor.
TASC Pharmaceuticals, which makes active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs), is to merge with fellow Indian company Glenmark
Laboratories, a specialist in formulations and biological drugs.
Efforts by Pakistan to build a pharmaceutical sector to rival that
of neighbouring India are being undermined by regulatory
interference, according to representatives of the domestic drug
industry.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is planning to lend around €40
million to Germany's Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau - a developer and
contract manufacturer of pharmaceutical and veterinary medicines -
to help it build a new research...
Yesterday's headline suggesting that up to 1 in 7 drugs in the
global marketplace provided a timely reminder of the problem as the
second Global Forum on Pharmaceutical Anticounterfeiting gets
underway in Paris, France, today.
Pharmaceutical companies and governments are not doing enough to
combat the problem of drug counterfeiting, which is developing into
an international health crisis, claim researchers.
Two top drugstores in the US state of Florida are seeking an
exemption from legislation requiring a strict paper-based pedigree
for drugs throughout the supply chain, on the grounds that it is
too expensive to comply.
German chemicals giant BASF reported strong earnings increases
across the board yesterday, helped by pricing increases. The
companies activities in pharmaceuticals, part of its chemicals and
fine chemicals units, also did well, report...
The growth in the global pharmaceutical continued to slow in 2004,
with a 7 per cent hike to $550 billion, as the sector felt the
effects of increased pricing pressure and the expanding market for
lower-cost generic drugs, reports...
A recent report into salaries within the pharmaceutical industry
reveals that the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) is paid amongst the
lowest for all executives when compared to salaries paid to chief
executive officers (CEOs).
A second market research report has found evidence that production
capacity in the market for contract manufacturing of
biopharmaceuticals is now in excess, in contrast to the hitherto
prevailing wisdom that the sector has been suffering...
Swiss drugmaker Novartis has started construction of a $180 million
tabletting facility in Singapore, providing further evidence of the
emergence of the island state as a pharmaceutical hub.
A desire by pharmaceutical companies to concentrate their resources
on marketing products, rather than production and drug discovery,
will drive global revenues for contract manufacturing and research
to nearly $168bn (€128bn) by...
A high-ranking US Food and Drug Administration official has told a
Senate advisory committee that the agency needs more authority to
force drug companies to change labelling for their drugs when
safety issues arise, writes Phil Taylor.
The Netherlands has set up a programme to boost its biotechnology
sector by helping small and medium-sized biopharma firms to develop
and manufacture products, writes Phil Taylor.
Claims that allowing parallel trade in pharmaceuticals is opening
the door to counterfeiting and bioterrorists have been refuted by a
senior executive at Pfizer in testimony to the US Senate's Health,
Education, Labour and Pensions...
Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical is planning to slash the number of
manufacturing plants it operates in Japan in the wake of its
alliance with Switzerland's Roche in 2002.
The rumours of a marriage between Japanese drugmakers Sankyo and
Daiichi Pharmaceutical were confirmed on Friday, when the two
companies officially announced their intention to merge in a stock
deal valued at around Y 813.0 billion...
Serologicals has continued its acquisitive streak, buying the cell
culture business Specialty Media from Sentigen Holding Corp, for
$6.5m (€4.9m) in cash. The unit will be integrated into
Serologicals' Chemicon subsidiary.
Rumours abound that Sankyo, Japan's second largest pharmaceutical
company, is in late-stage discussions with sixth-ranked Daiichi
Pharmaceuticals over a merger.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 'new' EU
countries are rapidly expanding, presenting considerable potential,
although parallel imports remain a challenge.
The consolidation of the generic drugs industry continues, with
Novartis' unit Sandoz merging with two companies that will bring it
back into the number one position in the sector.
In-PharmaTechnologist.com presents a round up of personnel moves in
the pharmaceutical sector, including the executive line-up at
soon-to-be number one generics company Sandoz.
The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) has praised the Food
and Drug Administration for validating the science of generic
biopharmaceuticals and making significant progress in establishing
requirements to approve these medicines.
West Pharmaceutical Services, fresh from the disposal of its drug
delivery business, is to acquire Monarch Analytical Laboratories in
exchange for cash, assumed liabilities and shares totalling $5.6
million (€4.3m).
The top pharmaceutical companies are investing less money and
people in nanotechnology than other industries, despite pressure to
replace fading blockbuster drugs as fewer drugs come out of the
sector's R&D pipeline, according...
US officials attempted to restore the reputation of the
pharmaceutical industry by announcing plans to introduce an
independent board, which aims to monitor the safety of drugs on the
market.
Israeli drug and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) company
Teva has reported a sharp increase in sales in 2004, helped in part
by last year's $3.4bn (€2.6bn) acquisition of Sicor.
The UK education system is failing to provide sufficient high
calibre scientists needed for the research-based pharmaceutical
industry. The concern is that financial targets have meant
university science departments becoming increasingly...
The Indian pharmaceutical sector has begun its seismic shake-up
following the introduction of new laws granting patent protection
to medicines on 1 January.
A €10 million grant from the EU has allowed researchers throughout
Europe to advance their research in the field of 'biological
crystallography,' which aims to create precise, 3-D "architectural"
models of biological...
West Pharmaceutical Services has completed the sale of its drug
delivery operations to Archimedes Pharma, a newly formed UK company
backed by private equity house Warburg Pincus.
The bad press surrounding the pharmaceutical industry continues
with claims that Merck & Co executives were concerned about
infant exposure to mercury in vaccines several years before the US
Food and Drug Administration made the...
According to a recent survey, leading pharmaceutical firms claim
that despite the decline in R&D productivity, scientists are
working harder and completing more projects.
The pharmaceuticals sector has been highlighted by the UK
government's Cabinet Office as one of its priority projects in a
review of business regulation.
Pharmaceutical distribution and technology company Cardinal Health
reported a slide in profits in the second quarter of the year, as
an internal investigation into the company's accounting practices
claimed additional executive...
A UK company is finding that the pharmaceutical industry is a
lucrative new market for its under vehicle bomb detector, now that
terrorist attacks are no longer confined to political and military
targets.
Finnish chemicals company Kemira is planning to buy Verdugt BV of
the Netherlands in a move that will triple its sales of organic
acids at a stroke and make it the number one company in the sector.
Akzo Nobel has reported a sharp rise in profits for 2004, but
warned that 2005 would be tough and that further divestments in its
chemicals portfolio are planned.
The European monoclonal antibody therapeutics market is set to grow
at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.1 per cent to $11.4
billion (€8.7 billion) by 2011. The growth is fuelled by the need
for safe and effective treatment...
Pharmaceutical industry groups today welcomed new government
legislation, which ensures animal extremists who are found guilty
of 'economic damage' to research laboratories will face
imprisonment of five years.
The long-standing relationship between biotechnology company
Genencor and Danish ingredients firm Danisco is to be cemented via
the merger of the two companies.
The UK government has given the national biotechnology industry
trade group £3 million (€4.3m) in funding to support the
development of bioprocessing, continuing a string of projects aimed
at boosting the UK biotech sector.
Merck KGaA is planning to sell its electronic chemicals business to
BASF for €270 million, freeing it up to focus on its
pharmaceutical, chemical and liquid crystal businesses.
Construction of the UK National Biomanufacturing Centre, an
ambitious project aimed at helping biotechnology start-ups get
their product ideas into clinical trials, is progressing on
schedule and should be ready to start production...