Pharma News

Teva – a moving target

Home/Pharma News | Posted 15/04/2011

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has grown rapidly since the forerunner of today’s firm was born in 1976. It has achieved its vision of becoming the world’s number one generics manufacturer, or as it puts it ‘its commitment to providing consumers with access to high-quality, affordable medicines’. It takes a great many legal wrangles and much forward planning to maintain this position.

China to power global generics development

Home/Pharma News | Posted 15/04/2011

Analysts estimate that China will overtake France and Germany as the world’s third-largest prescription medicines market in 2012, trailing only the US and Japan.

The latest on healthcare austerity in Greece

Home/Pharma News | Posted 08/04/2011

Greece is seeking to save approximately Euros 900 million a year and reduce the share of gross domestic product accounted for by healthcare spending from more than 10% in 2008 to under 6%. To help to achieve this, the maximum price of generic drugs will be set at no more than 60% of the originator product’s price, rather than 72% as originally proposed in September 2010.

Hikma buying into the US market

Home/Pharma News | Posted 08/04/2011

Hikma is buying some of Baxter’s injectable products that are sold primarily in the US, including chronic pain, anti-infective and anti-emetic products, along with the Cherry Hill manufacturing facility and the Memphis warehouse and distribution centre. Approximately 750 employees will also transfer as part of the arrangement.

Caraco and Sun to merge

Home/Pharma News | Posted 01/04/2011

Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories announced on 22 February 2011 that it had entered into a merger agreement with generics manufacturer Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and its wholly-owned subsidiary Sun Pharma Global.

FDA rejects second citizen petition for Teva’s glatiramer acetate drug

Home/Pharma News | Posted 04/06/2010

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ glatiramer acetate drug (Copaxone) is indicated for reduction of the frequency of relapses in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Mylan in and out of hot water

Home/Pharma News | Posted 18/03/2011

On 26 January 2011 Mylan, the second-largest US generics manufacturer, announced a truce with global pharma giant Pfizer, which will enable the former to sell generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor (atorvastatin) and combination blood pressure and cholesterol treatment Caduet (amlodipine/atorvastatin).

Valeant acquires generics’ manufacturer PharmaSwiss

Home/Pharma News | Posted 11/03/2011

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and PharmaSwiss announced on 1 February 2011 that they had signed a binding agreement for Valeant to acquire generics’ manufacturer PharmaSwiss for Euros 350 million. Valeant expects the deal to strengthen its presence in Central and Eastern Europe.

Rights to Allegra acquired by generics’ manufacturer Perrigo

Home/Pharma News | Posted 10/08/2010

On 29 June 2010, Perrigo announced that it had acquired the exclusive US rights to sell and distribute OTC versions of Fexofenadine HCl 180 mg and 60 mg tablets, plus Fexofenadine HCl 60 mg and Pseudoephedrine 120 mg tablets, the generic versions of sanofi-aventis’ Allegra and Allegra D-12 products. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries currently has prescription (Rx) approval for these products, and Teva and sanofi-aventis have settled their Paragraph IV litigation.

Perrigo buys Paddock for US$540 million

Home/Pharma News | Posted 04/03/2011

Perrigo Company may not be a household name, but nevertheless life is exciting for a medium-sized company in the pharmaceuticals world. Undeterred by a pending FDA warning letter about its Michigan facility, Perrigo recently entered into a definitive agreement to take over Paddock Laboratories in a cash deal worth Euros 394 million.

Teva increases stake in Mediwound to 51%

Home/Pharma News | Posted 11/02/2011

Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is increasing its stake in biotechnology company MediWound Ltd to 51% under a multi-tiered deal to develop and commercialise products to treat burns and wounds.

Ranbaxy’s profits soar, but US ban still looms

Home/Pharma News | Posted 04/02/2011

The generics’ giant and India’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, Ranbaxy, has reported strong results for the third quarter of 2010, but concerns remain about the US import ban that is still in place on many of the firm’s generics.

Cost of new drug challenged

Home/Pharma News | Posted 21/01/2011

An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) issue of 23 September 2010 took the unusual position of challenging a study published in the same issue.

Pfizer buys 40% stake in Brazilian generics’ manufacturer Teuto

Home/Pharma News | Posted 21/01/2011

Pfizer, the world's biggest pharma company, is increasing its stake in emerging markets, with its announcement on 20 October 2010 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Brazilian generics’ manufacturer Laboratorio Teuto Brasileiro (Teuto) for US$240 million.

China’s booming pharmaceutical market attracts R & D

Home/Pharma News | Posted 14/01/2011

China, which is approximately the size of the US, but with five times the population, has long been off-limits for global pharma due to its complex regulations, low healthcare expenditure and its seemingly unenforceable intellectual property laws. However all that has apparently changed according to a Reuters analysis, which shows that China is grabbing an increasing share of the global R & D budget, with investigators launching new studies to help understand how to treat the country’s huge population and tap into one of the fastest growing pharma markets on the planet.

Safe supplies consortium hard at work

Home/Pharma News | Posted 14/01/2011

Perhaps frustrated at the length of time required for action on counterfeit drugs by the EMA or the FDA, and the limited powers of each of these bodies, a group of individuals got together last year to do things their own way. The Interim Director of Rx‑360, a new non-profit international pharmaceutical consortium, was Mr Martin Van Trieste, Vice President of quality for Amgen.

Daiichi Sankyo pursues a global strategy

Home/Pharma News | Posted 07/01/2011

In Japan, Daiichi Sankyo has won its first worldwide marketing approval. The drug is laninamivir - long-acting neuraminidase inhibitor. The firm will market the drug as Inavir.

Fresh directions for Sinobiomed

Home/Pharma News | Posted 10/12/2010

Sinobiomed Inc announced the appointment of a new President and Chief Executive Officer on 2 September 2010. Mr George Yu completed his education in Germany and the US. Under his experienced guidance the company hopes to move swiftly on the following strategic initiatives:

FDA generics division officer joins Teva

Home/Pharma News | Posted 03/12/2010

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has added to its team Mr Gary Buehler, former head of the generics division at the FDA, The Wall Street Journal reported. Mr Buehler joins Teva as vice president of regulatory strategic operations.

Endo acquires US generics’ giant Qualitest

Home/Pharma News | Posted 26/11/2010

Endo Pharmaceuticals is buying US generics’ giant Qualitest Pharmaceuticals for about Euros 850,000 in cash to expand its portfolio of pain drugs. This is its second acquisition in as many months; last month it acquired Penwest Pharmaceuticals for just over Euros 100 million. Shares in US-based Endo were on the rise following the news.

Bristol-Myers Squibb looking stronger than expected

Home/Pharma News | Posted 19/11/2010

Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate), which prevents blood clots in patients at risk of heart attack or stroke and is the world's second biggest-selling prescription drug, loses US patent protection in November 2011. Bristol-Myers Squibb markets the drug in the US, while its partner sanofi-aventis sells it in other countries. Bristol-Myers got almost a third of its 2009 revenue from Plavix—Euros 4.6 billion out of a total of Euros 14.1 billion—and is racing to find new drugs to fill the gap.

Mylan granted US restraining order over sales of paroxetine

Home/Pharma News | Posted 12/11/2010

Generics’ giant Mylan Laboratories was granted a US court order in September 2010 prohibiting Apotex, a Canadian pharma company, from selling paroxetine. The order also prohibits GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) from supplying Paxil CR (paroxetine extended-release tablets) to Apotex. Mylan has an exclusive agreement to sell a copy of GSK’s Paxil CR. If GSK were to authorise additional sales of generic paroxetine this would undercut sales and cause an “irretrievable loss of market share and customers” for generic Paxil CR, a Mylan spokesman said.

Spotlight on Bosnia

Home/Pharma News | Posted 08/11/2010

In today’s global business environment, companies battle for position all over the world. Today Bosnia’s pharmaceutical industry is making the headlines, with a battle to invest in the leading company, Bosnalijek.

Teva bruised in Copaxone fight

Home/Pharma News | Posted 29/10/2010

Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) is generic’s giant Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ proprietory multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment, which netted the company Euros 1.17 billion in the first half of 2010. This success story, however, is now tainted with allegations that Teva performed an unethical clinical trial.

Sun Pharma finally wins battle for Taro

Home/Pharma News | Posted 08/10/2010

On 21 September 2010 India-based generics manufacturer Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) announced that it had acquired a controlling stake in Israel generics’ firm Taro Pharmaceuticals Industries after a prolonged legal battle.

AstraZeneca expands its generics business with Indian agreements

Home/Pharma News | Posted 01/10/2010

In line with its continued mission to supply branded generics to emerging markets, such as Africa and Latin America, AstraZeneca has entered into yet another agreement with an Indian generics firm.

Actavis plans entry to biosimilars market with Bioton agreement

Home/Pharma News | Posted 24/09/2010

In a press release on 7 September 2010, Icelandic generics’ manufacturer Actavis announced that it plans to enter into the field of biosimilars with an agreement with Polish biotechnology company, Bioton.

Ranbaxy to transfer R & D and focus on generics

Home/Pharma News | Posted 13/08/2010

On 2 July 2010, the Japanese Daiichi Sankyo Group and Indian-based Ranbaxy Laboratories announced that Ranbaxy’s New Drug Discovery Research (NDDR) has been transferred to Daiichi Sankyo India Pharma as part of the strategy to strengthen the global Research and Development (R & D) structure of the Daiichi Sankyo Group.

Ranbaxy to pay FDA to end impasse on manufacturing ban

Home/Pharma News | Posted 17/09/2010

Daiichi Sankyo hopes that its interventions may lead to a lift of the FDA’s import ban on 30 products from Ranbaxy, its Indian generic drugs arm.

Sun Pharma blocks Wockhardt settlement

Home/Pharma News | Posted 17/09/2010

Troubled generics’ firm Wockhardt is set to raise US$100 million via its foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs). However, fellow Indian generics’ manufacturer, Sun Pharma, has objected to the deal, amongst much speculation as to what Sun Pharma’s intentions are.

Teva increases its global position with acquisition of Ratiopharm

Home/Pharma News | Posted 10/09/2010

Generics are becoming an increasingly lucrative market with good prospects for the future. However, a report by US market data provider BCC Research shows that this is also a bit of an exclusive club. The top four global generics manufacturers in 2009 – Teva, Sandoz, Mylan and Watson – accounted for 40% of the world market.

The global generic medicines market

Home/Pharma News | Posted 03/09/2010

The global market for generic drugs was worth an estimated US$84 billion for 2009 and is expected to increase to a staggering US$168.7 billion by 2014.

Generics’ manufacturer Hospira merges with Javelin

Home/Pharma News | Posted 10/08/2010

On 22 June 2010, Hospira announced that it had successfully acquired 79% of the stock in Javelin Pharmaceutical’s. The merger agreement also allows for Hospira to exercise a ‘top-up’ option to increase its share ownership in Javelin, which, states Hospira, it fully intends to do.

Sanofi-aventis and Nichi-Iko announce joint venture for generics in Japan

Home/Pharma News | Posted 02/07/2010

Sanofi-aventis and Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Nichi-Iko) have announced that they have signed an agreement to establish a new joint venture, called sanofi-aventis Nichi-Iko KK, in order to develop a generic business in Japan.

Orchid acquires US generic sales and marketing company Karalex

Home/Pharma News | Posted 25/06/2010

On 10 June 2010, Indian-based generics manufacturer, Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals (Orchid) announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Karalex Pharma, LLC, a US-based generic marketing and sales services company with headquarters in New Jersey, USA.

GSK acquires Argentine generics’ maker Laboratorios Phoenix

Home/Pharma News | Posted 25/06/2010

On 10 June 2010 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) acquired Laboratorios Phoenix, a leading Argentine pharmaceutical business, for approximately US$253 million. GSK will gain full ownership of Phoenix in a move to accelerate sales growth and further extend its pharmaceutical portfolio in Argentina and the Latin America region.

Abbott acquires Indian generics’ maker Piramal Healthcare

Home/Pharma News | Posted 18/06/2010

The US-based company, Abbott, agreed to buy the domestic unit of Piramal Healthcare, one of India’s biggest generics makers, for US$3.7 billion.

EGA welcomes MEPs decisions on falsified medicines and pharmacovigilance reports

Home/Pharma News | Posted 11/06/2010

On 27 April 2010, ENVI (The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety) of the European Parliament voted to adopt reports on both falsified medicines and pharmacovigilance. The measures included in these reports are intended to increase patients’ safety. This can only be good news for the generics sector, as this should result in increased consumer confidence and as a result encourage acceptance and increase sales of generics.

IMS Health Top 20 pharmaceutical companies 2009

Home/Pharma News | Posted 23/04/2010

The 2009 list of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, ranked by IMS Health according to global prescription drug sales for the 12 months up to September 2009, shows that Teva, Novo Nordisk and Boehringer Ingelheim scored better in percent change than Big Pharma in those months.

IMS Health, BCC: Generics sales continue to climb

Home/Pharma News | Posted 12/03/2010

Over the 12 months that ended September 2009, global sales of generics grew by 7.7%, up from 3.6 % the year before, IMS Health reported. This compares with the 5.7% growth seen within the overall global pharmaceutical universe in 2009.