Pharma/Biotech News
Hundreds Of Rare Disease Drugs In Testing
January 16, 2013 6:15 pm | by Linda A. Johnson | News | CommentsFor the nearly 30 million Americans who suffer from a rare disease, there's heartening news: Drugmakers have been shifting much of their research away from pills for the millions to uncommon disorders that often kill prematurely because there are few or no treatment options.
Ironwood Reports $19.2M In Constipation Drug Sales
January 15, 2013 1:47 pm | News | CommentsIronwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. said that sales of recently approved Linzess, cleared in August as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and for chronic constipation, totaled $19.2 million in the fourth quarter, although it was not enough to offset higher costs.
Forest Labs Takes 3Q Loss
January 15, 2013 11:33 am | News | CommentsForest Laboratories Inc. said it took a loss in the fiscal third quarter on greater payments to partners and a continued decline in its sales. The company said it now expects to reach the low end of its fiscal-year profit guidance and cut its sales estimate.
Halozyme Upgraded by Analyst
January 14, 2013 4:02 pm | News | CommentsHalozyme Therapeutics Inc.'s stock was upgraded by a BMO Capital Markets analyst, saying he expects it to do better in 2013. The analyst thinks European Union regulators will issue a favorable opinion about the company's version of the cancer drug Herceptin during the first quarter.
Abbvie Recalling Thyroid Drug
January 11, 2013 7:06 pm | News | CommentsAbbVie Inc., an Abbott Laboratories spin-off, has recalled more than 28,520 bottles of the thyroid-hormone replacement therapy Synthroid over a labeling error. It is the second recall of the drug in six months. Synthroid is a synthetic thyroid hormone used to treat hypothyroidism.
Late Scramble For Vaccine
January 11, 2013 5:40 pm | by Lauran Neergaard | News | CommentsMissed flu-shot day at the office last fall? A scramble for shots is under way as late-comers seek protection from a miserable flu strain already spreading through much of the country. Federal health officials said that there is still some flu vaccine available and it's not too late to benefit from it.
Merck Warns Against Prescribing Tredaptive
January 11, 2013 8:56 am | News | CommentsDrugmaker Merck & Co. is suspending its sale of the cholesterol drug Tredaptive and telling doctors to quit prescribing the tablets. The Whitehouse Station, N.J., company also is advising patients to stop taking the medication only after talking to a physician.
Pharmaceutical Links to Cancer Agency Disclosed
January 10, 2013 7:42 pm | by Paul J. Weber | News | CommentsMajor pharmaceutical firms and individuals linked to companies that have benefited from a $3 billion cancer-fighting Texas agency under criminal investigation are among the financial contributors to a nonprofit formed to support the embattled state institute.
Drug Companies Partnering with Top Schools
January 10, 2013 2:54 pm | by Alan Scher Zagier | News | CommentsIn their quest for the next big drug discovery, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly teaming up with some of the nation's top universities, recruiting campus scientists as partners and offering schools multimillion-dollar deals to work on experimental drugs in development.
Lilly Settles Cancer Suit
January 10, 2013 3:03 am | by Denise Lavoie | News | CommentsEli Lilly and Co. has settled a lawsuit brought by four sisters who contended their breast cancer was caused by a drug their mother took during pregnancy in the 1950s, a move some believe could trigger financial settlements in scores of other claims brought by women around the country.
Testimony Beginning in Pregnancy Drug Case
January 8, 2013 3:20 am | by Denise Lavoie | News | CommentsTestimony is set to begin in a federal lawsuit brought by four sisters who believe their breast cancer was caused by a drug their mother took during pregnancy in the 1950s. Diethylstilbestrol, or DES, was prescribed to millions of pregnant women between the late 1930s and early 1970s.
Sumavel Boosts Zogenix Sales
January 7, 2013 3:53 pm | News | CommentsZogenix Inc. has reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter sales of its injectable migraine treatment Sumavel DosePro. It shipped about 145,200 units of Sumavel DosePro, which represented an increase of 9 percent from the third quarter and 26 percent more than the fourth quarter of 2011.
Sanofi Brings Back Rolaids
January 7, 2013 3:20 pm | News | CommentsFrench pharmaceutical giant Sanofi plans to re-launch the antacid treatments, known for its commercials that asked viewers how they spelled relief. Rolaids products have been off the U.S. market for more than two years following recalls because of manufacturing problems.
Sciclone Releases 2013 Forecast
January 7, 2013 10:35 am | News | CommentsSciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s profit forecast for 2013 topped its 2012 view, as the company said it had taken steps in the second half of last year to improve its performance. The Foster City, Calif., company forecast 2013 adjusted earnings of 66 cents to 72 cents per share.
Lilly Profit Forecast Tops Expectations
January 4, 2013 2:28 pm | by Tom Murphy | News | CommentsEli Lilly and Co. unveiled a better-than-expected 2013 earnings forecast, in part because the pharmaceutical company expects growth from several established drugs to help make up for revenue lost to generic competition. Sales for its best-seller, Zyprexa, cratered in 2012 after it lost U.S. patent protection.
Analyst Upgrades J&J
January 4, 2013 1:27 pm | by Linda A. Johnson | News | CommentsNew Brunswick, N.J.-based healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson has weathered patent expirations bringing new generic competition to big-selling drugs including antibiotic Levaquin and Concerta for attention deficit disorder and its three business segments should each perform better in 2013.
Indian Court To Rule On Generic Drugs
January 4, 2013 2:41 am | by Nirmala George | News | CommentsFrom Africa's crowded AIDS clinics to the malarial jungles of Southeast Asia, the lives of millions of ill people in the developing world are hanging in the balance ahead of a legal ruling that will determine whether India's drug companies can continue to provide cheap versions of many life-saving medicines.
Eliquis Approved In Japan
December 26, 2012 10:31 am | by Linda A. Johnson | News | CommentsRegulators in Japan have approved the use of an anticlotting drug developed by Bristol-Myers and Pfizer. Eliquis can be used as a treatment for a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation in patients who are at risk for strokes or dangerous clots called systemic embolisms.
Fda Approves Aegerion Cholesterol Disorder Drug
December 24, 2012 9:25 am | News | CommentsAegerion Pharmaceuticals Inc. said that the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Juxtapid, a treatment for a rare inherited disease that causes extremely high levels of bad cholesterol. The FDA approved Juxtapid as a treatment for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.
Fda Warns Doctors Of Counterfeit Botox
December 24, 2012 8:53 am | News | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration said in a letter sent last month, a letter released publicly last week, that batches of the wrinkle treatment shipped by suppliers owned by pharmacy Canada Drugs have not been approved by the FDA and that the agency cannot assure their effectiveness or their safety.
Halozyme Inks Deal With Pfizer
December 21, 2012 12:29 pm | News | CommentsHalozyme Therapeutics Inc. said it has reached an agreement with Pfizer to develop injectable versions of the drugmaker's biotech drugs. Halozyme specializes in a recombinant hyaluronidase enzyme technology, which allows the body to absorb drugs faster.
Horizon Pharma Gets Nod for Arthritis Drug
December 21, 2012 10:19 am | News | CommentsU.K. regulators will grant marketing approval to Horizon Pharma's arthritis combination pill, pending review of a few final documents, the company announced. Duexis is used to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Medicines Co. Releases Positive Antibiotic Data
December 20, 2012 3:03 pm | News | CommentsMedicines Co. has reported positive results for an experimental antibiotic to treat skin infections. The company said oritavancin worked as well as an older antibiotic, vancomycin, in treating infections; including those caused by the hard-to-treat bacteria, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Eli Lilly Pays $29M To Settle Probe
December 20, 2012 1:59 pm | News | CommentsEli Lilly has agreed to pay $29.4 million to resolve federal allegations of possible corrupt business practices by the company's overseas partners. The settlement deals with a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation launched in 2003 of four Lilly affiliates in Brazil, China, Poland and Russia.
Mylan Recalls Hydrocodone Tablets
December 20, 2012 12:58 pm | News | CommentsMylan Inc. said that it is voluntarily recalling three lots of a painkiller tablet because of the risk that it may exceed the appropriate potency. Their is a possibility that a small number of tablets from the affected lots may exceed the weight requirement and could exceed the label claim potency requirements.
