The accusations levelled at GlaxoSmithKline and Forest Laboratories
that negative trial results on their products have been buried has
prompted the US industry to set out its own code of practice.
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"...
The market for generic drugs is going to expand from its present
level of $35 billion (€29bn) to $80 billion in 2008, as
cash-strapped healthcare payors turn increasingly to cheaper
options.
Reforms that demand the public disclosure of industry payments to
The National Institute of Health (NIH) employees are to be
introduced to crackdown on the violation of existing rules that
create a conflict of interest between the...
A coalition of biopharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies
has agreed on an electronic data standard that should make it
easier to file product approval dossiers to regulators
electronically, bringing drugs to market more...
The UK subsidiary of Japan's Yokogawa has introduced a new FT-NIR
(Fourier transform near infrared) analyser that runs as a
stand-alone system, with no need for an attached PC, making it
easier to install in a process environment.
The use of animal testing in pharmaceutical research and
development is to be revised after the UK government announced it
was to establish a national centre to reduce use and raise
standards of animal welfare, writes Wai Lang Chu.
The use of animal testing in pharmaceutical research and
development is to be revised after the UK government announced it
was to establish a national centre to reduce use and raise
standards of animal welfare.
Signalling its continued commitment to the emerging economies of
the recently expanded European Union, Switzerland's Novartis has
unveiled a €70 million overall investment in a new generics
production and logistics facility in...
In March 2004, manufacturers of pharmaceuticals such as
prescription painkillers and other drugs at risk of abuse were
required to start using radiofrequency identification tags on all
pallets destined for retail giant Wal-Mart, almost...
The cost and time required to develop a new drug and bring it to
market is determined by the therapeutic category of that drug. The
results are consistent with the model that predicts R&D efforts
are generally shifting toward...
DMV International, the industrial ingredients division of the
Netherlands' Campina, is planning to open a dedicated facility in
Germany for the production of excipients for direct compression.
The UK's recently adopted standard for child resistance in
non-recloseable pharmaceutical packaging such as blister packs
contains a serious flaw that must be addressed, according to
Stephen Wilkins, secretary of the UK's...
Germany's Evotec Neurosciences, a subsidiary of Evotec OAI, has
licensed rights to a patent portfolio developed by Roche that
covers a promising - but elusive - drug target for central nervous
system (CNS) disorders, reports...
Switzerland's Novartis has confirmed that it is in discussions with
Aventis which could lead to a counter-offer to fend off the hostile
takeover bid from France's Sanofi-Synthelabo.
Aventis could hang on to its 15 per cent stake in chemicals company
Rhodia under the terms of a new agreement with the European
Commission. The company will instead sell off its 49 per cent stake
in Wacker Chemie over the next several...
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has developed a new class of therapeutic
that could make it the first pharmaceutical company in India to
develop a proprietary blockbuster product.
European clinical researchers have launched a campaign calling on
the European Parliament and Commission to repeal a new Directive on
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) on the grounds that it will hinder the
conduct of non-commercial trials.
A new report claims that there is little future for small- to
medium-sized research-based pharmaceutical companies over the next
12 years, as they will simply not have the R&D muscle needed to
survive, says a new report from Decision...
Japan is losing out competitively at the expense of its rivals in
the global pharmaceutical industry, says EFPIA, and must take steps
to improve the environment for drug companies.
Ultrafine has started construction of an additional facility to
expand its capabilities in the custom manufacturing of active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates.
After a difficult period which has seen the departure of its chief
executive and first-half loss of €150 million, Rhodia took the
opportunity presented by the CphI meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, to
reassert its commitment to the pharmaceutical...
A new report has suggested that an average-sized, top 20 drug
company only needs to produce two new products every three years to
maintain growth rates.
Chemical Synthesis Services has opened a new, £25 million (€36
million) facility in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, improving its
drug development and analysis services.
The pharmaceutical industry is facing the possibility of earlier
generic competition for its branded products from 18 August, when
new legislation in the USA comes into effect.
A conference on batch process automation and asset management in
the pharmaceutical industry is scheduled to take place in Cork,
Ireland, on 22-23 October.
Therascope, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on
small molecule drug discovery, has raised €24.1 million to develop
its TACE platform.
The European Commission has issued its long-awaited response to the
G10 Medicines Report, intended as a blueprint for improving the
European pharmaceutical industry's competitiveness while ensuring
high levels of public health...
KS Avicenna, the Canadian unit of KS Biomedix of the UK, launched a
newly expanded contract biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in
Canada, to service both North American and European clients, at the
start of the BIO 2003 meeting,...
US pharmaceutical major Pfizer reinforced its position as the
world's largest drug company in 2002 after putting in sales of
$29.45 billion (€25.12 bn) in 2002, a hike of 11 per cent over the
prior year, according to a new analysis...
The bulk of biotech companies are firmly rooted towards the foot of
the ladder of corporate evolution. Precious few can realistically
claim to be at the top end of the evolutionary scale with full
R&D capabilities, global reach...
