Monthly Archives: August 2010

Genzyme Snubs Sanofi Offer

By George Koroneos | Published: August 31, 2010
Less than 24 hours after offering to purchase Genzyme for $18.5 billion, Sanofi-Aventis was sent a letter of rejection from the biotech firm’s board of directors stating that the offer just wasn’t worth it. “Without exception, each member of the Genzyme board believes this is not the right time to sell the company, because your opportunistic [...]
Posted in Deals | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

New Study Shows Spike in Branded Drug Prices (Updated 8/26)

By George Koroneos | Published: August 25, 2010
The retail price of branded pharmaceuticals spiked 8.3 percent in 2009, according to a new report released by AARP on Wednesday. This is the first time AARP has measured the retail price of Rx drugs. In the past, the lobby group only tracked the wholesale manufacturers’ price of generic, branded, and specialty drugs, which is traditionally [...]
Posted in Sales, Strategy | 2 Comments

And What Exactly is a Stakeholder?

By Julian Upton | Published: August 19, 2010
Pharma’s uncritical use of the word ‘stakeholder’ has increased to the point where it can refer to almost anyone connected to the industry. But this can have serious consequences, warns Reflector. Like it or not (and frankly, I don’t), stakeholders are here to stay in European pharmaceutical affairs. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve no objection to [...]
Posted in Europe, Global, Guest Blog, Regulatory | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Patients Want to Talk. Do You?

By Julian Upton | Published: August 18, 2010
Why are companies rushing to the web when traditional engagement with patient groups remains so under-exploited, asks Jacky Law. It used to be so easy. Patients listened to doctors, doctors listened to pharma and everyone was happy. There was even a time when payers listened to pharma, reimbursing their prices with very few questions asked. Now [...]
Posted in E-Media, Europe, FDA, Global, Guest Blog, Legal | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feds Threaten to Pull ProAmatine for Lack of Postmarket Data (Updated 8/18)

By George Koroneos | Published: August 16, 2010
Image via Wikipedia FDA on Monday announced that it was looking to withdraw approval for the low-blood-pressure treatment midodrine hydrochloride because the companies manufacturing the drug failed to provide data from post-approval studies. The kicker: The drug was approved 14 years ago. FDA gave midodrine hydrochloride—branded by Shire as ProAmatine and produced by a half-dozen generics firms—the green [...]
Posted in FDA | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment