At a press conference in the waning days of 2010, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) raised an alarm about what she called an “unprecedented” drug shortage. Citing a scarcity of treatments for chemotherapy, she called for greater collaboration between industry and FDA to ensure that Americans have access to the medicines they need. But shortages also can affect drugs that are used for purposes other than healing. Read more »

The confetti from the New Year’s celebrations has settled, and drugmakers are busy planning their activities for 2011. Some people make New Year’s resolutions in hopes of bettering themselves or adopting good habits. After its recent disappointments, the pharmaceutical industry likely will resolve to improve its research and development (R&D) efforts. Read more »

In January 2011, control of the US House of Representatives will shift to the Republican party. Reducing the federal deficit is one of the party’s top priorities, and Republican leaders have proposed to cut domestic spending as a means to accomplish this end. But should all programs be put on the chopping block? Read more »

These days, research scientists, much like Rodney Dangerfield, can’t get any respect. The latest evidence of this arrived on Friday, when AstraZeneca (London) proposed to cut 3500 research and development (R&D) jobs by 2014. Read more »

Last week we saw more signs that pharmaceutical megamegers bode ill for New Jersey workers. Business Week reported that Pfizer (New York) planned to close six research and development (R&D) facilities—some of its own, and some of Wyeth’s (Madison, NJ). Many of the 400 employees at Wyeth’s research offices in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, could be laid off. And last Wednesday, Richard Clark, CEO of Merck (Whitehouse Station, NJ), told attendees at a Goldman Sachs conference that research jobs at Schering-Plough’s (Kenilworth, NJ) headquarters could be eliminated to reduce costs. Read more »

Strategies to improve sourcing and procurement, including risk mitigation, was a key theme addressed at a recent conference for supply-chain professionals in the pharmaceutical industry. The conference, the Strategic Sourcing Summit, was held this week in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was organized by the Drug, Chemical, and Associated Technologies Association’s (DCAT) Supply Management Committee and the Pharmaceutical Forum and the Chemical Group of the Institute for Supply Management. The conference featured perspectives from economists, analysts, regulatory officials, and chief procurement officers. Read more »

A requirement for country-of-origin labeling for pharmaceutical ingredients was placed once again on the Congressional agenda, with the introduction of a Senate bill (S. 3633), the Transparency in Drug Labeling Act, which was introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in late September. The bill is another effort by Congress this year to mandate country-of-origin labeling for pharmaceutical ingredients, which is increasing the likelihood that the pharmaceutical industry may see such a requirement in the future. Read more »

A second information request by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on the outsourcing practices of a major pharmaceutical company—this time Merck & Co.—is moving the issue of outsourcing into an uncomfortable zone of political expediency versus constructive debate. Read more »

Covance’s (Princeton, NJ) announcement this week that it will partner with Shanghai’s WuxiPharmaTech in a joint venture for preclinical services reflects a shifting paradigm in pharmaceutical outsourcing. Read more »

FDA is on its way of getting a boost to its 2009 budget for strengthening its drug-import safety program. Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Leavitt asked Congress for an additional $100 million to improve international safety points, from preapproval testing to postapproval surveillance. Read more »