Posts Tagged ‘Wyeth’

Wyeth v. Levine: Inside the Preemption Case

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the long-awaited preemption case, Wyeth v. Levine.

For the first time, the highest court in the land is weighing in on whether federal approval of a drug preempts tort claims against a drugmaker, such as an injured consumer might bring in a state court. A decision for Wyeth upholding preemption could help end the proliferation of product liability and class-action lawsuits at the state level—as seen in the massive Vioxx litigation.

The details of the case verge on melodrama. A Vermont musician, Diana Levine, lost part of her right arm to gangrene after Wyeth’s anti-nausea drug Phenergan (mistakenly) came into contact with arterial blood.

Although the drug’s label carries a warning about this bizarre potential side effect, which can result from an improper emergency “IV push,” the plaintiff has argued that the drugmaker should have either made the warning more prominent or not sought approval for this specific technique. A Vermont court agreed with the plaintiff, ordering Wyeth to pay Levine $6 million in damages. Wyeth appealed. (more…)

Moving On + Up

Friday, September 26th, 2008

Barry Goldstein Thomas HughesDan McIntyre

Promotions and hires for September 26, 2008:

  • Merck named Barry J. Goldstein, M.D., vice president of clinical development for diabetes and obesity
  • Sanofi-Aventis announced that Chris Viehbacher will succeed current CEO Gerard Le Fur in December
  • GlaxoSmithKline named Ellen Strahlman chief medical officer
  • Questcor Pharmaceuticals appointed Gary Sawka CFO
  • Encorium appointed David Ginsberg president and CEO
  • Wyeth named Daniel J. McIntyre vice president, corporate communications
  • Genesis Pharmaceuticals appointed John Yang Wang to its board of directors
  • Zosano Pharma appointed Gail Schulze chair and CEO
  • Lilly named John Lechleiter its board of directors chairman
  • Merz Pharmaceuticals named Jack Britts president and CEO
  • Ferring Pharmaceuticals appointed Paul Korner, M.D., vice president, medical affairs
  • Zafgen appointed Thomas Hughes the company’s first CEO

Simply Genius: Prix Galien USA 2008 (photos)

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

Click here to view a slideshow from Prix Galien 2008

The 2008 Prix Galien USA is in the books, and Pharm Exec was in attendance at New York’s Museum of Natural History to take in all the festivities. Pfizer, Merck, Alexion, Wyeth, and Celgene were all recognized for their work in advancing science in both the biotech and pharma industries. Charlie Rose played master of ceremonies to a packed house featuring a who’s who of the science elite and a handful of Nobel Laureates. (more…)


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