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Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries has sealed a deal to acquire Cephalon for $6.8 billion. In a press release issued on May 2, 2011, Teva explained that it will pay $81.50 cash per share in a transaction that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2011. The companies' combined portfolio will include more than 20 branded products and represent approximately $7 billion in sales.

On Apr. 29, 2011, a federal appeals court has lifted a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. The move was celebrated by researchers hoping to use such cells for research, but it is likely that the decision will be appealed. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from embryonic tissue in a process that usually results in the destruction of the embryo. The ban on funding did not apply to stem cells derived from adult tissue.

FDA is collecting public comments on a series of studies that the agency plans to conduct on online direct-to-consumer (DTC) promotion of prescription drug products, according to an announcement in the Apr. 28, 2011, Federal Register.

On Apr. 27, 2011, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the composition of a working group tasked with making recommendations about the training of the next generation of biomedical researchers. The group will be co-chaired by Dr. Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University, and Dr. Sally Rocky, NIH deputy director for extramural research. Ten other scientists, most of them from academia, will complete the group.

Warner Chilcott, a specialty pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Dublin, announced its plans to restructure in a press release on Apr. 18, 2011, which places 500 Western European jobs on the line. The decision came after a strategic review of operations following the loss of Actonel's patent exclusivity in late 2010. Accounting for approximately 70% of the company's Western European revenues, Actonel (risedronate sodium) is a monthly, oral medication for the prevention and treatment of ostioporosis.

FDA has released a list of its strategic priorities for the next five years to address new global challenges. The document, titled ?Strategic Priorities 2011?2015: Responding to the Public Health Challenges of the 21st Century?, provides a vision for FDA. This vision includes a new field of regulatory science that uses innovations in science and technology to ensure the safety and effectiveness of products, according to the document, which also includes proposals for meeting the needs of the world?s unique populations.

Shanghai Pharmaceutical and Pfizer have signed a memorandum of understanding for the companies to jointly pursue potential business opportunities in China.

The IMS institute has released its report on the use of medicines in the United States during 2010. The report looks at consumer spending on prescription drugs, and presents data on how many prescriptions have been filled, in which therapeutic areas, and compares use of generics with branded drugs.

A Record Number of Therapies for Cancer Currently in Development

Merck Forms Joint Venture with Sun Pharmaceutical

FDA Publishes Guidance for Preventing Cross-Contamination

J&J Announces Settlement for Corrupt Practices

J&J Reorganizes Consumer Group

Pfizer's Capsugel Fetches $2.375 Billion

Nigeria Looks to Simple Packaging Controls and International Cooperation to Curb Counterfeit Drugs

sanofi Completes Genzyme Acquisition

AstraZeneca Agrees to $1.1-Billion Settlement to US and UK Tax Authorities

Biosimilars Market will be Worth $3.7 Billion by 2015

New Challenges for Use of Embryonic Stem Cells

Sanofi Issues Bonds to Fund Genzyme Acquisition

Merck Sells Contract Biopharmaceutical Business to Fujifilm

Johnson and Johnson Acquires Vaccine Developer Crucell

EMA Challenged Over Conflict-of-Interest Case

Rare Disease Day 2011 ? "Rare but Equal"

President's Budget Allocates More Funding to FDA

EMA Releases New Guidance on Stem Cell Products

Follow-on Biologics Grow in India

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the vaccine Gardasil, manufactured by Merck and Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ), for the prevention of anal cancer and associated precancerous lesions due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in people ages 9 through 26, according to an FDA press release.

At a press conference in Edina, Minnesota, on Dec. 30, 2010, US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) urged the US Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry to address what she called an ?unprecedented? shortage of prescription drugs, especially for chemotherapy. ?Physicians, pharmacists, and patients are currently among the last to know when an essential drug will no longer be available. That?s not right. There needs to be better coordination between the pharmaceutical industry, the FDA, and healthcare providers so patients don?t lose access to the medications they depend on,? said Klobuchar in a press release.

London-based drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Immutep S.A. (Orsay, France) have signed a license agreement granting GSK exclusive worldwide rights to ImmuTune IMP731 and any other antibodies that deplete LAG-3 positive cells. IMP731 has demonstrated potency at low doses in preclinical models of T-cell mediated inflammation and could represent a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases.