– Pharmaceutical Industry Headlines

Most recently updated on April 2nd 2011

Disappointing: Matesanib, experimental lung cancer drug developed by  Amgen-Takeda Partnership fails late-phase clinical trials– April 1 2011

Mood at this year’s annual Pharmaceutical Conference – Interphex 2011 – noticeably more upbeat and confident than years past. Is there finally an end in sight for this downturn? – April 1 2011

Attorney General Conway reaches $10m settlement with Alpharma and Purepac over their attempt to alter AWPs (avg wholesale prices)- Apr 1 2011

Debate reheats whether generics should be held to same standards regarding safety and warning labels as Brand Names due to furor over lawsuit—Apr 1 2011

Geraldine Ferraro’s Death highlights issue of high costs for cancer drugs—March 31 2011

ALARMING: Hospitals all over US reporting that drug shortages are the “new normal” – Tennessee                     –Virginia

Stealth and Wealth, not Mental Health, driving Psychiatric Pharma—March 31 2011

Well running dry on Big Pharma’s Neuroscience Pipelines—March 31 2011

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure—FDA and WHO target side effects and ADRs before they occur—March 31 2011

Pharma Strategy Moves from Sales Reps to Opinion Leadership– March 31 2011

Hallelujah Alito! Salut, Scalia! Supreme Court votes 6-2 to give Big Pharma total liability shield regarding gov-mandated vaccines, as trial lawyers fume and start looking for honest work—March 29 2011

MAJOR HEADLINE:  Big Pharma’s Influence on Doctors

Residency Programs Shutting Doors to Big Pharma? Some GP’s believe industry’s influence needs to be checked—March 28

***More on this: 1/4 Practitioners Refuse to see Pharm Sales Reps

How Big Pharma Influences Private Practice—March 28 2011

Expose on the Pharmaceutical Industry and Marketing – March 28

——————————————————————–

MERGE: Proctor-Gamble + Teva Teaming up spells Big News on Horizon for OTC Meds—March 26 2011

BUSINESS: $220M deal – PerkinElmer Buys NC Pharma IT Company ArtusLabs—March 26 2011

LEGAL: Meth furor raises head in Nevada as Lawmakers plan session to determine if cold remedies should be made prescription only—March 25 2011

–LEGAL 2: Minnesota Lawsuit has Potential to rain on Generic’s Parade, and be a game changer for generic medications and warning labels—March 25 2011

Leaked Memo from Canada’s Industry Minister on making the country less hostile to Pharmaceutical R&D– March 26 2011

Ruckus in Canada: Liberals on the Out try to Enact Legislation that would annihilate Pharma’s ability to compete –  March 26 2011

HCPC Meeting Targets Discussion of Patient Adherence– March 24 2011

Access Pharmaceuticals Appoints Anthony Mottola as new VP of Managed Care—March 23 2011

Analysts think Wal-Mart’s $4 generics is a “prescription” for $6b in savings—March 23 2011

Zicam Finds Itself on the Wrong End of the Supreme Court—March 23 2011

*Accenture’s Global Managing Director’s Views on shaping the future of Pharmaceutical R&D—March 23 2011

*Pharma begins reacting to SCM—Supply Chain Management: Britain’s developments may serve as predictors of American industry trends.– March 23 2011

*Technology is the key for Big Pharma in troubled times: read this story about how new software enabling easier sharing of clinical trial data expects to move new drug applications and research through the pipeline faster– March 23 2011

*Most recent, 10 Biggest Drug discoveries worth $50B by 2015—Mar 23

*Patient Advocacy Groups and their growing influence challenges Big Pharma paradigms—strategies to adapt to a changing reality– March 23 2011

*Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development: Part One—March 22 2011

answer that question—and explores whether or not Big Pharma can step in to facilitate—March 21 2011

*Is electronic file reconciliation the answer to the FDA’s lousy track record the last couple of years? What? The FDA has a lousy track record? – March 21 2011

Many of America’s Drugs are Produced in countries the FDA lacks the resources to fully investigate for compliance. Both sides of the aisle agree to raising fees to give them increased access – check this for more details – March 17 2011

In an otherwise sour economy, FDA Consulting services boom in Orlando, FL – March 17 2011

Bob Barr’s “Barr Code” – Examines Uncle Sam’s recent treatment of Big Pharma. Is it a shakedown, or are there other reasons for recent increase in fines?

What a Stanford Study found out about the real cost of Pharmaceutical R&D

Author Jessica Wapner’s proposition on Clinical Trials – and answers the question if they are the “way forward” in the upcoming year of mega-patent expirations. Interesting read!

*Legal* – Wildwood, MO votes to have PSE products (pseudoephedrine), ie Sudafed – behind Pharmacy counter in latest effort to combat Meth manufacturing

Merck and Schering-Plough Fight over Profits from Arthritis Drug Remicade

**MAJOR HEADLINE: ***

Slowdown in R&D at World’s Major Private Pharmaceutical Companies means two things: Generics poised to get lion’s share of profits; and Government begins gradual march to subsidize and socialize pharmaceutical industry with $1b infusion to NIH to produce drug research

————————————————————

Politics – Durbin and Schakowsky take Aim at Behind the Scene dealings Obama made with Pharmaceutical Industry for their Support in passing Healthcare Legislation: Legislation being Introduced to Allow Secretary of HHS to negotiate Lower Drug Prices for Seniors than Medicare Allows

Montana Governor Claims to have Document Detailing Actual Price of Pharmaceutical Drugs – and is Outraged at how inexpensive they actually should be