July 12, 2010 at 1:38 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Pharmaceuticals
By Dow Jones Newswires
An unnamed drug maker has applied for U.S. regulatory approval to sell a generic version of Allergan Inc.’s eyelash-enhancing drug Latisse before its patent protection expires.
Latisse, approved in late 2008 with $73.3 million in sales last year, has market exclusivity until late 2011. But the Food and Drug Administration disclosed last week that a company filed an application in May to market a copycat version by challenging Allergan’s patent for the drug. The FDA didn’t identify the applicant of the generic drug. Get the full story »
July 12, 2010 at 11:58 a.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals,
Recalls
By Associated Press
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. says it is recalling eight production lots of its anti-clotting drug Coumadin because the amount of the active ingredient in the drug could change. Get the full story »
July 8, 2010 at 1:37 p.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Pharmaceuticals,
Recalls
By Associated Press
Johnson & Johnson is expanding a recall of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol and Motrin IB because of a musty or moldy smell.
The McNeil Consumer Healthcare business says it is recalling 21 lots of over-the-counter drugs sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Fiji, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. Get the full story »
July 8, 2010 at 9:07 a.m.
Filed under:
Jobs/employment,
Layoffs,
Pharmaceuticals
By Associated Press
Drugmaker Merck & Co. said Thursday it is shutting down eight manufacturing plants and eight research sites around the world, including two domestic locations, in the latest phase in its strategic pruning of operations.
The moves, which include consolidating some offices, are part of ongoing consolidation following Merck’s acquisition of Schering-Plough Corp. last November.
July 8, 2010 at 6:42 a.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals
By Reuters
Genzyme Corp., which is attempting to fix quality-control problems involving its top medicines, will have Hospira Inc. fill and package the drugs under a new supply agreement between the two companies, Genzyme said in a regulatory filing . Get the full story »
July 6, 2010 at 7:36 a.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals,
Retail
By Dow Jones Newswires
Walgreen Co. said its June same-store sales rose 2 percent, a reversal from two straight months of declines, as front-end discretionary sales improved. Overall, sales jumped 8.4 percent to $5.67 billion, increased by three percentage points by Duane Reade stores the company acquired this year. Duane Reade stores aren’t included in same-store results. Get the full story »
July 2, 2010 at 11:32 a.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Pharmaceuticals
From Bloomberg | Sources familiar with the situation say that French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA is preparing a major acquisition in the U.S. Acquisitions allow big drugmakers to replenish their supply of newer drugs and cut costs by combining sales forces. One analyst believes that Sanofi may want to consider diversifying by buying Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., a maker of infant formula that was spun off from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. last year. Other acquisition targets might include Mylan Inc., the biggest U.S. maker of generic drugs, and Hospira Inc.
July 1, 2010 at 2:24 p.m.
Filed under:
Litigation,
Pharmaceuticals
From the Chicago Daily Herald | Abbott Labs has settled a patent infringement suit against Sandoz over generic versions of the antibiotic Omnicef. Terms were not disclosed.
July 1, 2010 at 9:46 a.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Pharmaceuticals,
Retirement
By Alejandra Cancino
Abbott Laboratories said Thursday its executive vice president of pharmaceutical products is retiring.
The company said Olivier Bohuon will “shortly announce his plans to accept another opportunity” in a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The North-Chicago based company named Richard A. Gonzalez the interim vice president.
July 1, 2010 at 9:05 a.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Pharmaceuticals
By Alejandra Cancino
Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Thursday it accepted a tender offer by Hospira Inc. to buy about 79 percent of the company’s shares. Under the offer, which expired on Wednesday at midnight, Hospira will purchase about 51.3 million shares at $2.20 per share. Javelin said the merger is expected to be completed by Friday. Get the full story »
June 30, 2010 at 12:33 p.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals,
Recalls
By Reuters
Bristol-Myers Squibb has recalled some of its samples of Coumadin, a popular blood thinner, because of a variation in an ingredient that stabilizes the active drug.
A spokeswoman for the company said 8 lots, or 144,700 samples, each of which contained 10 tablets, have been recalled. The affected lots were distributed only as samples, she said. Get the full story »
June 29, 2010 at 3:49 p.m.
Filed under:
Litigation,
Pharmaceuticals
By Reuters
A U.S. judge handed AstraZeneca Plc a huge victory Tuesday, finding that the patent on its multibillion-dollar cholesterol fighter Crestor is valid, sending the the British drugmaker’s shares up 9 percent.
Judge Joseph Farnan, of the U.S. District Court in Delaware, ruled that generic drugmakers who challenged the patent failed to prove it was invalid because it was an obvious invention. Get the full story »
June 29, 2010 at 6:37 a.m.
Filed under:
Pharmaceuticals
By Alejandra Cancino
Schaumburg-based APP Pharmaceuticals Inc. will begin marketing a breast cancer treatment medication in the U.S. as Anastrozole, the drug’s generic name. Anastrozole tablets, also known as Arimidex , are mainly used to treat early breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
APP’s parent company, Fresenius Kabi Pharmaceuticals Holding Inc., said the move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted its research company permission to market the drug.
June 28, 2010 at 2:37 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Pharmaceuticals
From the Wall Street Journal | Abbott Labs has put the flu-vaccine business of Solvay SA up for sale. British pharmaceuticals giants GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca are considered leading candidates to pick up the operation, expected to sell for around $617 million.
Abbott bought the drug business of Belgium’s Solvay in September.
June 28, 2010 at 11:27 a.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Health care,
Pharmaceuticals
By Alejandra Cancino
Abbott Laboratories said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration approved a new diagnostic test that allows for the detection of two sexually transmitted diseases.
Abbott’s RealTime Chlamydia trachomatis/neisseria gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) assay and Abbott’s m2000 System can detect gonorrhea and chlamydia, a disease that often goes untreated because of its lack of symptoms. Get the full story »
