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 The pharmaceutical business is yet another dynamic venture, present globally and extremely important to research scientists, investors and the entire community at large. As in any other business, the success of any pharma company lies on 2 factors- investment potential and risk taking ability. In addition, the R&D portfolio becomes a huge numerator to ensure successful profit quotient. So why read Pharma R&D, business news? Because it offers following benefits- 1. Enables investors to take “wise decisions”. 2. Assists Job seekers to realize “where to invest their career”. 3. Helps community to abreast themselves of new medicine introductions, availability of low cost generics and overall to think wise about “how they can control their health care costs”. Dr.Shruti Bhat, an Expert in Pharmaceutical industry, brings to you some highlights from current pharma business news- Big pharma companies look to tap generic drug business in emerging markets.On the front of its Business Day section, the New York Times reported, "Some prestigious brand-name pharmaceutical companies that once looked askance at the high-volume, low-cost business of generic drugs are now becoming major purveyors of generic medicines." ... Quintiles to invest in more drug development research. Quintiles Transnational Corp., which is the world's biggest contract research organization, is now using its deep pockets to entwine itself with the pharmaceutical companies, fronting them cash and services for a piece of the profits once a drug is approved. ... Medicare recipients have appeal options when coverage for certain drugs is denied.The Wall Street Journal reported that, each year, millions of Medicare recipients discover that their drugs are no longer covered by their Part D plans. ... Lilly to use outside contractors to help its drug pipeline. The Wall Street Journal reported that Eli Lilly & Co. is hiring outside contractors to run tests on its drug candidates as part of new efforts to be more productive. Lilly will use scientists outside of its own research team to decide whether to move a promising molecule to treat rheumatoid arthritis into late-stage testing, based on mid-stage data. ... to read more on all the above points, click http://www.pharm-education.com/2010/02/pharmaceutical-r-business-news-expert.html Disclaimer- The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. http://www.drshrutibhat.com Expert at leading Pharmaceutical R&D. Translates innovative concepts to PROFITS. Pharma business news 02/15/2010
Here are some important developments in pharma business world- Pfizer to enter Japan's generic drug market as early as 2011. Pfizer Inc. "will enter the generic-drug market in Japan as early as 2011 to bolster sales of its medicines that have lost patent protection." Matsumori, head of the off-patent and generic drugs business at Pfizer Japan, said the company "will establish a new unit to sell 68 generic and off-patent drugs." Pfizer "will also expand the sales force in Japan to sell more brand-name products, Ichiro Umeda, appointed president of Pfizer Japan Inc." India introduces new ethics policy for physicians. The Wall Street Journal "Health" blog reports that India has become the latest country to place restrictions prohibiting doctors from accepting drug-industry gifts. However, India's Business Standard says that the new ethics rules from the Medical Council of India may not be effective unless penalties for violating them are also introduced. UN applauds efforts to end HIV travel restrictions. The United Nations praised the United States and South Korea on Monday for lifting travel bans on people with HIV and urged 57 other countries with travel restrictions to end them quickly.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "applauded South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak on Monday 'for his country's leadership in ending restrictions towards people living with HIV that have no public health benefit.Likewise, UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said the policy changes were "a victory for human rights on two sides of the globe. US healthcare spending in 2008 increased at slowest pace in 48 years. The New York Times reported that, "Health spending grew in 2008 at the slowest pace in 48 years as the recession throttled back the explosive growth of health costs," according to a CMS report. "Health spending topped $2.3 trillion in 2008, up 4.4 percent from the previous year," but "the rate of growth in 2008 was down from 6 percent in 2007 and an average increase of 7 percent a year in the decade from 1998 to 2008." The Times adds, "By slowing the growth of health spending, the recession achieved what a generation of public officials tried unsuccessfully to accomplish." The Wall Street Journal noted that while healthcare spending growth did slow, it still grew faster than the overall economy in 2008. Government statistician Micah Harman said, "The fact that the recession had a more profound and immediate impact was not something that we've seen in recent history." In the report, CMS said that Medicare and Medicaid cost the federal government 8 percent more in 2008 than in 2007. The agency said that national health spending growth continues "to outpace growth in the resources available to pay for it. ... Monitoring the drivers of health-care spending growth will continue to be an important aspect of meeting the nation's health-care needs with the limited resources available in an uncertain fiscal future. Merz Pharma to buy BioForm Medical in $253 million deal. The American Press reported, "Merz Pharma Group of Germany said...it will buy BioForm Medical Inc. for $253 million cash, expanding its aesthetic medicine business." BioForm specializes in "products used in cosmetic medical procedures," such as "Radiesse, which is sued as a dermal filler and as a treatment for vocal fold insufficiency." The company is also responsible for Coaptite, an "injectable implant...used as a treatment for female urinary incontinence." The deal has been approved by both companies' boards of directors and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010. Under the agreement, the Business Journal of Milwaukee reported that Merz "will acquire all of the outstanding shares of BioForm Medical for $5.45 per share in cash under a cash tender offer followed by a second-step merger." After the completed transaction, "BioForm Medical will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Merz and will be renamed Merz Aesthetics." Genzyme signs manufacturing deal with Hospira. Biotechnology company Genzyme Corp. is contracting manufacturing for its key products to Hospira Inc. for an undisclosed amount, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The "'fill and finish manufacturing services' deal for the genetic disorder drugs Cerezyme [imiglucerase], Fabrazyme [agalsidase beta], Myozyme [alglucosidase alfa], and Thyrogen [thyrotropin alfa for injection]," follows "a series of manufacturing problems at the company's" Allston facility. The FDA "said it found tiny particles of trash in" certain drugs in November, and "recommended that doctors closely inspect vials of" the aforementioned drugs and Aldurazyme [laronidase]. The deal is contingent upon whether Genzyme can obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to outsource its fill and finish services to Hospira, The agreement, which is set to expire at the end of 2015, will be extended until 2017 unless terminated. Genzyme to move operations away from contaminated manufacturing facility. Genzyme Corp. will move all its filling, packaging, and distribution operations out of its Allston drug manufacturing facility because of the latest problems involving contamination at the plant.The company also said it will "move the bulk of the operations to its own site in Waterford, Ireland." Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2010/02/pharma-business-news.html Disclaimer- The information posted is for knowledge purpose only and should not be considered as legal advise. * Ablynx-Pfizer rheumatoid arthritis drug in Phase II Belgium's Ablynx (ABLX.BR), which specialises in ultra-small drugs derived from llamas, could see its first product on the market in 2013, its chief executive said in an interview. Ablynx specialises in nanobodies -- touted as the next generation in antibody treatment -- which are developed from the antibodies in llamas. They have the potential to enable drugs to get to diseases that are too small for traditional antibodies to reach. One of its lead drugs, being developed in partnership with U.S. drugs giant Pfizer (PFE.N), which inherited it when it took over Wyeth last year, is currently in Phase II trials and could become its first commercialised product. "The earliest we think it could be on the market is 2013, that's a tangible distance away," Chief Executive Edwin Moses told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday at the company's headquarters in Ghent. Pfizer is hoping it will be able to use the new nanobody drug to replace its arthritis medicine Enbrel -- which made almost $1 billion in the third quarter of 2008 [ID:nN21437632] -- Moses said. The company also has partnerships with Merck (MRCG.DE), Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis (NOVN.VX). In a twist of nature, llamas have evolved to produce extra small antibodies, which are in turn used to make nanobodies. They are stable enough to be inhaled or inserted under the skin, setting Ablynx' technology apart from rivals like GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) Domantis, Moses said. Nanobodies are being tested on animals for Alzheimer's disease and they are currently in mid-size human trials for arthritis and thrombosis. They also cost about a third of the price of developing traditional antibodies, Moses said. "We take two or three llamas, give them an injection and go away on holiday (and create) what might have taken 20 medical chemists a year to come up with," said Moses. ($1=.7040 Euro) (Editing by Karen Foster) Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2010/02/ablynx-says-first-nanobody-drug-may-hit.html Reference- http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE60O0DM20100125 Who are the 50 Best Employers in Canada? 01/07/2010
The 2010 list of Best Employers in Canada includes 25 organizations from Ontario, nine from Alberta, six from British Columbia, four from Quebec, three from Saskatchewan, one from Manitoba, one from Nova Scotia and one headquartered jointly in Ontario and Quebec. Eight organizations have never appeared on the Best Employers in Canada list before. The list goes as-
Disclaimer : This information is for knowledge purpose only. Specialist advise should be sought for your specific circumstances. Pharma Business updates- 01/05/2010
Novartis makes offer to buy Alcon for $39 billion. Novartis AG offered to buy the rest of Alcon Inc., the world's largest eye-care company, from Nestle SA and shareholders for a total of $39.3 billion, as Chief Executive Officer Daniel Vasella expands into products for eye surgery. The deal increases Novartis' ownership of Alcon to 77 percent, possibly bringing the company closer to its goal of becoming a global healthcare conglomerate. Novartis also bid to buy out minority shareholders and offered 2.80 Novartis share for each Alcon share. Nabi signs licensing deal with Glaxo for nicotine vaccine. Nabi Biopharmaceuticals "has signed a licensing deal" with GlaxoSmithKline "that could produce a huge payday if the anti-smoking drug can be successfully brought to market." Nabi said a unit of Glaxo "has agreed to pay $40 million initially for the exclusive worldwide licensing rights to the drug, called NicVax [nicotine conjugate vaccine]." According to a published report, Nabi could receive over $500 million in option fees and regulatory, development and sales milestones and is running one late-stage clinical study of NicVax and plans to start another one. Bristol-Myers splits from nutrition company to focus on biotech drugs. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. will split off its 83 percent stake in Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., the maker of Enfamil infant formula, to focus on biotechnology medicines." Bristol-Meyers said about "a third" of its "drugs in development are biotechnology compounds. Bristol CEO "James M. Cornelius has been selling assets to raise money for acquisitions and cutting jobs to lower costs by $2.5 billion by 2012, when the blood-thinner Plavix [clopidogrel bisulfate] faces generic competition." Abbott buys potential chronic pain drug for up to $190 million. Abbott Laboratories is reportedly buying a potential chronic pain drug from PanGenetics BV for as much as $190 million." Abbott "said the drug is in early-stage clinical testing as a treatment for pain cause by arthritis," and could be tested "against chronic lower back pain, cancer pain, and diabetic nerve pain." PanGenetics "will receive $170 million upfront from Abbott, and $20 million in milestone payments if the drug advances through development. Although the drug, called PG110, is "still in early human clinical trials, Abbott executives say they expect to one day launch the drug in both injected form and an intravenous formulation." Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2010/01/pharma-business-updates.html Disclaimer : This information is for knowledge purpose only and should not be interpreted as business advise. Top 10 Pharma Layoffs in 2009 12/17/2009
2009 has been a dreadful year for pharmaceutical job cuts. Staffing firm Challender, Gray and Christmas, reported that 58,969 pharmaceutical and biotech jobs were cut this year, that’s an astonishing 15,000 more than 2008. According to Fierce Pharma’s third annual list of the pharmaceutical industry’s top layoffs are Pfizer and Merck coming top of the list. Pfizer’s job cuts have come as a result of the company’s $68 billion buyout of Wyeth, leading to 19,500 jobs being cut. Top 10 1. Pfizer – 19, 500 jobs 2. Merck – 16, 000 3. Johnson & Johnson – 8, 900 4. Astra Zeneca – 7, 400 5. GlaxoSmithKline – 6, 000 6. Eli Lilly – 5, 500 7. Teva Industries – 1, 090, 8. Sepracor – 940 9. King Pharmaceuticals- 770 10. Sanofi-Aventis – 750 If you haven’t been a victim of these recent redundancies within the pharmaceutical industry, it is more than likely that you will know someone who has. If you have been made redundant, it is important that you bear in mind that, whilst you may well be devastated, redundancy can, at the same time, be liberating and will not affect your employability within the pharmaceutical industry. Try to think of redundancy as an opportunity for change. Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/top-10-pharma-layoffs-in-2009.html What will 2010 bring for pharma industry? 12/16/2009
There is no doubt it has been a challenging year for pharma so far as with many other industries. Further consolidation has been observed with big pharma whilst many biotech companies struggle for much-needed investment in these challenging times. Earlier in October, IMS Health published its growth forecast for 2010 and highlighted some key drivers for the industry’s prospects. As we appear to be heading out of the worst of the recession, I thought it might be interesting to publish this release in full and see whether my readers agree with the prognosis for the next year. Whether you agree or not with the IMS Health forecast, this is a chance to share your views on where we are heading in 2010! IMS 2010 Global Forecast NORWALK, CT, October 8, 2009 – IMS Health (NYSE: RX) reported today that the value of the global pharmaceutical market in 2010 is expected to grow 4 – 6 percent on a constant-dollar basis, exceeding $825 billion, driven by stronger near-term growth in the U.S. market. The forecast, the leading annual industry indicator of market dynamics, predicts global pharmaceutical market sales to grow at a 4 – 7 percent compound annual growth rate through 2013, and takes into account the impact of the global macro economy, the changing mix of innovative and mature products, and the rising influence of healthcare access and funding on market demand. Global pharmaceutical market value is expected to expand to $975+ billion by 2013. In its latest forecast, the company raised its expectations for five-year pharmaceutical market growth by one percentage point, partly due to the stronger demand being experienced in 2009. The conclusions are drawn from the latest release of IMS Market PrognosisTM, the company’s series of strategic market forecasting publications. “Overall, market growth is expected to remain at historically low levels, but stronger-than-expected demand in the U.S. is lifting both our short- and longer-term forecasts,” said Murray Aitken, senior vice president, Healthcare Insight, IMS. “The economic climate will continue to be a dampening influence in most mature markets, particularly in those countries with rising budget deficits and publicly funded healthcare systems. In the U.S., pricing flexibility and inventory management actions are contributing to much higher growth than anticipated earlier this year, and are the main reasons for the upward adjustment to our five-year forecast.” In its latest analysis, IMS identifies the following key market dynamics: • Growth prospects in the U.S. market improve. Near-term growth prospects in the U.S. have strengthened in recent months, reflecting both sustained levels of price increases and changing inventory stocking patterns. Pharmacy chains are more tightly managing their inventory levels based on expectations of patient demand, which has led to greater purchasing volatility than in previous years. This also has played a role in unusually high sales growth in the first quarter of 2009 relative to forecast expectations. U.S. market growth in 2009 is now expected to be 4.5 – 5.5 %, and 3 – 5 % in 2010. While payers seek to limit price increases and boost the use of lower-cost generics, pharmaceutical manufacturers are expected to maintain their pricing practices, competing on the basis of clinical evidence and value. Current pricing practices by the industry also include the use of off-invoice discounts and rebates, which are not reflected in IMS’s forecast and reported data, and are understood to be increasing. • Economic downturn affects markets to varying degrees. Growth has slowed in countries where there is high out-of-pocket spending on pharmaceuticals and steep declines in macroeconomic activity, especially in Russia, Mexico and South Korea. At the same time, growth has been less affected to date in countries where drugs are largely funded publicly, such as in Germany, Japan, Spain and Turkey. However, new cost-containment measures expected to be introduced during the forecast period likely will impact the pace of growth in these markets. In the U.S., pharmaceutical manufacturers’ efforts to expand access to and awareness of patient assistance programs, as well as co-pay subsidies for patients in need, are limiting the impact of the economic downturn to some extent. • Impact of the innovation/patent loss imbalance dampens growth prospects. Consistent with trends of the past several years, the next five are expected to reflect a significant imbalance between new product introductions and patent losses. This is the primary factor limiting global pharmaceutical market growth to the mid-single digits through 2013. During the next five years, products that currently generate an unprecedented $137 billion in sales are expected to face generic competition, including Lipitor®, Plavix®, and Seretide®. At the same time, new products that will enable innovative approaches for treating patients suffering from diseases such as osteoporosis, respiratory ailments, thrombosis, multiple sclerosis and cancer are not expected to generate the same magnitude of sales as products losing patent protection. • Pharmerging markets in aggregate sustain strong growth. Despite economic conditions significantly affecting some markets – notably Russia, Turkey, South Korea and Mexico – the seven pharmerging countries are expected in aggregate to grow by 12 – 14 % in 2010, and 13 – 16 % over the next five years. China’s pharmaceutical market is expected to continue to grow at a 20+ % pace annually, and contribute 21 percent of overall global growth through 2013. Russia and Turkey may be impacted significantly by new measures intended to reduce the level of healthcare spending in those two markets. • Healthcare access and funding under intensifying pressure. The economic climate has heightened concerns by payers about healthcare funding, and intensified their efforts to limit access to innovative drugs. During the next five years, markets will be impacted by numerous payer actions, including the imposition of price cuts on existing drugs, the raising of standards required to achieve reimbursement of innovative therapies, and the use of economic incentives for prescribers and pharmacists to drive a shift to generic alternatives. Evidence of the value that medicines bring to healthcare systems will be required to achieve access and funding in both developed and emerging markets. A number of events may occur in 2010 that also could have a long-term effect on the pharmaceutical market. These include the potential for passage of comprehensive healthcare reform in the U.S. as well as legislative or regulatory actions in other countries, the magnitude of the H1N1 pandemic, and the timing and extent of the global economic recovery. “While our outlook for the global market is more positive than earlier in the year, the fundamental dynamics of the innovation cycle, funding pressures, and the broader macroeconomic environment will result in mid-single-digit growth over the next five years,” noted Aitken. “Notwithstanding the improved prospects in the U.S. market, the drive by pharmaceutical manufacturers to adapt to the longer-term marketplace trends and evolving patient needs will continue undiminished.” Summary So, some strong emerging themes coming to the fore around US recovery, mixed fortunes by geography including a focus on “pharmerging” markets, increasing impact of the patent cliff and the spread of restricted access to healthcare funding. Let me know your feedback on the 2010 IMS growth projections: • Do you think the overall growth projections are right? • What markets, products and companies will be the key drivers? • What are the main therapeutic areas driving growth? • What are the emerging therapeutic or diagnostic areas? • What other changes will impact on the global pharmaceutical market in 2010? http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/what-will-2010-bring-for-pharma.html Disclaimer : This information is for knowledge purpose only and should not be interpreted as business advise. According to Dow Jones newsletter reports, Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday it is selling most of its business to Italian drugmaker sigma-tau Group and will focus on its experimental cancer drugs and technologies." Enzon "will get $300 million upfront, along with milestone payments of as much as $27 million," and "sigma-tau could also pay Enzon royalties on Enzon's four approved drugs through 2014." Reports further state that sigma-tau is purchasing "cancer drug Oncaspar [pegaspargase], fungal infection treatment Abelcet [amphotericin B], meningitis drug DepoCyt [cytarabine liposome injection], and Adagen [pegademase bovine], which is used for severe combined immunodeficiency disease. Reference- http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/medicine-business-news-upate.html Disclaimer : The above information has been cited from literature in public domain. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only and should not be construed as medical advise. | AuthorShruti is a visionary leader,a result-oriented professional and a pharmaceutical scientist targeting path- breaking research and technologies of future.  ArchivesSeptember 2010 Categories |
