In a move that the company attributes to “evolving market dynamics”, Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Cordis is pulling out of the drug-eluting heart stents sector, cutting 900–1000 jobs in the process. Cordis will cease the development of its NEVO sirolimus-eluting coronary stent, as well as the manufacture of CYPHER and CYPHER Select Plus sirolimus-eluting coronary stents. Manufacturing will cease by the end of 2011. Read more »

In February 2011, GlaxoSmithKline indicated that it would stop discovery efforts in the areas of depression and pain, making them the most recent large pharmaceutical company to back away from developing new drugs for important neuroscience indications. The future of drug development in this area is uncertain, prompting a meeting hosted by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology in March 2011 to discuss the issue, and make recommendations for ensuring the future of the CNS pipeline. Attendees included high-ranking representatives from industry, academia, patient groups, and the heads of European, US and international organizations involved in research and treatment of brain disorders. A report of the meeting has been released, which examines the reasons for the reluctance of Big Pharma to pursue these targets, and suggests ways of facilitating drug discovery in CNS disorders. Read more »

This time last year, 46% of bio/pharmaceutical companies responding to PharmTech’s annual outsourcing survey indicated that their external spending was growing at the same rate of total R&D spending, and their view of the year ahead was quite upbeat. At the same time, service providers suggested that they had adjusted to new market realities by refocusing their efforts and funding targets. Read more »

The vicissitudes of vaccine development, particularly for new clinical areas, have been at play with recent news of a late-stage setback and promising early-stage development for vaccines to treat Type 1 diabetes. Read more »

This week has seen several pharma companies slashing the prices of important vaccines for use in developing countries, but is the move spurred by simple generosity alone? There are often headlines about pharma companies’ drug donations to developing countries and I think it’s great to see the pharma industry making a difference in this area. However, the price reductions may also stem from something other than generosity: the need to compete with other vaccine manufacturers, particularly at a time where more and more low-cost generic medicines are becoming available. Read more »

Federal prosecutors are seeking jail time for four former executives of Pennsylvania-based medical device manufacturer, Synthes. The four have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor involving the off-label use of a bone cement product made by the company. The cement was used in surgeries involving the hip and spine, for which it was not approved, and three patients died during surgery. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Synthes and Norian Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, pleaded guilty to charges related to introducing adulterated and misbranded bone cements into interstate commerce and paid fines totaling $23.6 million. Synthes sold Norian to obtain funds to comply with the plea. In late April, Johnson & Johnson agreed to buy Synthes for $21.3 billion. Read more »

Sustainability is about more than going green. When it comes to business strategy, it also includes social and corporate governance, according to a definition from Brandlogic and CRD Analytics. The consulting firm and investment analytics firm, respectively, recently released a survey about the real and perceived sustainability efforts of the top 100 companies around the world. Read more »

In a ruling issued this week concerning the patent rights of research universities, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roche in a long-standing patent dispute the company had with Stanford University regarding patent rights to technology to detect HIV blood levels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The ruling is significant in that it provides clarity in this particular case to technology transfer and related rights between universities using federal funding and private companies. Read more »

Haven’t we heard this story before? Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals faces a class action suit alleging that it discriminates against its female employees. In late May, the class bringing the suit expanded to include female sales representatives and all women in the company’s Consumer Care unit. The employees’ complaint alleges that Bayer is hostile toward women, pays them less than it pays men, and retaliates against women who object to these conditions. Read more »

It’s common knowledge that many of our medicines are tested in rats. It’s also common knowledge that a rat is not a human, so it should come as no surprise that animal studies can only predict a medicine’s effects in humans with an accuracy of 50% at best — no better than the toss of a coin, argue scientists in a recent letter. Read more »