GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is facing a number of US lawsuits, which
claims the company had covered up negative data that indicated its
antidepressant Paxil might increase suicidal tendencies in young
people.
Charles River Laboratories has made a $1.5 billion (€1.2bn) bid to
acquire Inveresk Research in a deal that will create a contract
research powerhouse with nearly $1 billion in annual revenues,
writes Phil Taylor.
New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has continued in his
crusade to investigate pharmaceutical company practice by
requesting information from Forest Laboratories which is accused of
promoting its products for "off-label"...
A proposal requiring drug companies to register clinical trials in
a public database to be considered for later publication -
regardless of results - is being considered by top medical
journals, writes Wai Lang Chu.
France's Sanofi-Synthelabo has announced plans to sell two of its
products to GlaxoSmithKline in a deal which forms part of its
strategy to take over Aventis.
The pharmaceutical industry in the UK could face a recruitment
crisis if more is not done to encourage students to opt for science
and engineering courses, according to the Association of the
British Pharmaceutical Industry, writes...
Germany chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer has christened
its chemicals spin-off Lanxess, and says it is on schedule for a
stock market flotation early next year.
A swallowable remote controlled capsule that can test the
absorption of a drug from different parts of the gastrointestinal
tract could help companies extend the patented lifespan of their
products, according to a new report.
A partnership between two US companies is aiming to exploit the
discovery that short pulses or bursts of antibiotic treatment are
more effective than continuous exposure in fighting bacterial
infections.
It has the same name and the same active ingredient, but
GlaxoSmithKline claims to have significantly improved its migraine
treatment Imitrex (sumatriptan) with a new formulation that
dissolves rapidly in the stomach.
Eksigent Technologies is launching a new high-pressure liquid
chromatography system in March that can increase throughput
compared to rival HPLC systems as much as six-fold.
UK drug delivery company SkyePharma expects to make a loss in 2003,
a disappointing result given that it chalked up its first
profitable year just a year earlier, and will cut 10 per cent of
its workforce as a result.
Radleys Discovery Technologies, a UK-based specialist in parallel
chemistry, has introduced a platform to speed up the purification
process after synthesis of multiple compounds.
A case study based on Pfizer's blockbuster antidepressant Zoloft
(sertraline HCl) reveals how early research on the different
crystal forms of a drug can avoid generic challenges later on.
DPS Engineering, an Irish engineering firm which specialises in
providing services to the pharmaceutical sector says it is planning
to create 250 jobs over the next five years as it continues a major
growth phase in its business in...
Pharmaceutical major GlaxoSmithKline has set aside £1 million
(€1.4m) to soften the blow of selling its bulk active ingredient
manufacturing facility in Montrose.
The Intraject needle-free injector technology originated by
now-defunct UK company Weston Medical has passed a new series of
feasibility testing at new owner Aradigm.
Novartis has agreed to pay GlaxoSmithKline a royalty on sales of a
generic version of GSK's antibiotic Augmentin
(amoxicillin/clavulanate) sold in the USA as AmoxC.
A new formulation of GlaxoSmithKline's Parkinson's disease drug
Requip (ropinirole), developed with UK drug delivery specialist
SkyePharma, has entered Phase III testing.
UK company SkyePharma is expecting to achieve turnover of £100
million (€139m) in 2003, which would represent a rise of around 40
per cent over last year. However, the company has warned that the
lion's share of this total would...
GlaxoSmithKline has entered into a new drug formulation agreement
with Flamel Technologies of France that could see the latter firm
receive up to $45 million (€41.3m) in licensing fees and milestone
payments.
