Pharmaceutical industry

President Praises Dodd leadership on Health Care Reform

June 22, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Chairman Kennedy’s chief deputy for Health Care Reform, released the following statement today after joining President Obama, Senator Max Baucus, and AARP CEO A. Barry Rand to announce that the Administration has a reached a deal with the Pharmaceutical industry to reduce the gap in coverage in the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit program. The agreement is expected to save an estimated $80 billion.    » read more »

Merck Statement in Response to the FDA's June 12, 2009 Communication with Updated Information on Leukotriene Inhibitors, Including SINGULAIR® (montelukast sodium)

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., June 12, 2009 - Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to today's communication from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) addressing updated information on leukotriene inhibitors, including SINGULAIR® (montelukast sodium).    » read more »

Announces Date for Annual Meeting of Stockholders; Stockholders to Vote on Merger Agreement with Pfizer

Madison, N.J., June 18, 2009 – Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) today announced that it has filed a definitive proxy statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Among other matters, stockholders will vote on Wyeth’s merger agreement with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), which was announced on January 26, 2009.    » read more »

Biogen Idec Announces First Patient Enrolled in the Global Phase III Study of PEGylated Interferon Beta-1a for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Jun. 22, 2009 -- Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) today announced enrollment of the first patient in a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PEGylated interferon beta-1a (BIIB017) in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The trial, called ADVANCE, will determine the efficacy of PEGylated interferon beta-1a in reducing relapse rates in patients with RMS.    » read more »

Phase III data show rapid and sustained remission in more than 90% of Ilaris-treated patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS)[1]

Basel, June 18, 2009 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ilaris® (canakinumab) for the treatment of children and adults with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), which includes a number of rare but life-long auto-inflammatory disorders with debilitating symptoms and limited treatment options[1],[2],[3],[4]. The FDA granted priority review to Ilaris based on its potential to meet an important clinical need for patients with CAPS.    » read more »

Seattle, WA - June 17, 2009 – A new landmark collaboration between the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership, and Tibotec, a global pharmaceutical company, has been announced today at the Pacific Health Summit in response to the urgent need to accelerate the discovery and development of new drugs to fight tuberculosis (TB). The collaboration agreement is between Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, an affiliate of Tibotec, and the TB Alliance.    » read more »

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- June 16, 2009 -- Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) today announced that an arbitration panel has issued its decision concerning the Company’s collaboration agreement with Genentech, Inc., reaffirming Biogen Idec’s contractual right to fully participate in strategic decisions regarding the development of RITUXAN® (rituximab) and other anti-CD20 antibodies subject to the collaboration.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ: GENZ) today announced that it has detected a virus that impairs cell growth in one of six bioreactors at its Allston Landing manufacturing facility. The company has decided to temporarily interrupt bulk production at the plant to sanitize the facility. Genzyme is collaborating with regulatory agencies as it works to resume production. The company expects the plant to be fully operational by the end of July.    » read more »

June 12, 2009 -- Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) today announced that the European Commission has approved Renvela® (sevelamer carbonate) for the control of serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The approval includes patients not on dialysis with serum phosphorus levels ≥ 1.78 mmol/L (5.5 mg/dL), and covers both the tablet and powder formulations.

“With this marketing authorization, Renvela is the first phosphate binder for patients not on dialysis approved through the centralized procedure in Europe,” said Dan Regan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Genzyme’s renal business. “This is an important step toward improved patient care, and we are pleased that CKD patients in Europe will now have access to this proven therapy.”    » read more »

World Premiere of LEARN Exhibit Educates on Autoimmune Diseases with Tour Inside the Immune System

June 11, 2009 -- Copenhagen, Denmark — Today at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) congress, LEARN, a unique travel exhibit that provides a walking tour of the immune system and its response to autoimmune diseases, makes its world debut.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT), the global health care company, several Danish patient associations and Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark have joined together in an effort to increase awareness of autoimmune diseases by creating the Living the Experience of Autoimmune ReactioNs (LEARN) exhibit. The LEARN international media event is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2009, in Copenhagen's Town Square from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m. (CEST).    » read more »

June 0, 2009, London UK -- GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to form a new Joint Venture with Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique Co. Ltd (Shenzhen Neptunus) focused on developing and manufacturing influenza vaccines for the Chinese market.    » read more »

Paris, France - June 8, 2009 – Sanofi-aventis (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY) announced today that Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH has purchased from Pfizer the Diabel manufacturing plant in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany, one of the largest state-of-the-art insulin manufacturing plants in the world.

Sanofi-aventis is exercising its step-in right regarding a purchase contract signed between Pfizer and Mannkind in March 2009. The scope of the acquisition includes buildings, equipment, machinery and some existing contracts. This acquistion is valued at 30 million euros.    » read more »

June 7, 2009, London UK -- New Phase II data presented today at the American Diabetes Association 69th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans show that the investigational type 2 diabetes treatment Syncria® (albiglutide) significantly reduced blood glucose levels and provided weight loss across weekly, biweekly and monthly dosing.1 Reducing blood sugar is a key part of managing type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects over 250 million people worldwide.2    » read more »

Afinitor significantly reduced tumor size by 50% or more in one out of three patients with refractory or relapsed lymphoma

Basel, June 8, 2009 - New data show that Afinitor® (everolimus) Tablets significantly shrunk tumors in 33% of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease[1]. Based on results from this study and other early-stage research, Novartis has initiated a Phase III trial in the most common NHL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).    » read more »

New Brunswick, NJ (June 5, 2009) -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), through a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Kite Merger Sub, Inc., today will commence a cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Cougar Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CGRB). Johnson & Johnson reported on May 21, 2009, its intent to acquire Cougar Biotechnology.    » read more »