Published by Erik Greb on August 30, 2010
under Biotech, Europe News, Manufacturing, North America News
Now it’s official. Rumors about sanofi-aventis’s (Paris) desire to purchase Genzyme (Cambridge, MA) have stirred speculation for weeks. The French drugmaker laid its cards on the table on Sunday by publishing its offer letter to Henri Termeer, Genzyme’s CEO. Sanofi proposed to pay $69 in cash per Genzyme share, or a total of about $18.5 billion, to acquire the biologics manufacturer. On Friday, Genzyme shares closed at $67.62.
Termeer’s response came this morning. It can be summed up in two words: nothing doing. Read more »
Published by Erik Greb on August 2, 2010
under Biotech, Europe News, Manufacturing, North America News, Regulation, Trends
In the current economic slump, generic versions of branded drugs have become a bigger thorn in innovators’ sides than before. To safeguard their profits for just a bit longer, many companies have paid generic-drug manufacturers to delay the introduction of their products to the market. US and European authorities have called these arrangements anticompetitive, though, and events on Capitol Hill last week indicate that they might not be tolerated much longer. Read more »
Published by Stephanie Sutton, PharmTech Europe on July 16, 2010
under Europe News, Regulation
Companies always want the longest patent protection possible for their products — and with good reason considering the immense costs of R&D. However, some companies go a little too far in seeking patent protection to the point that they may even try to mislead the regulators in order to extend the life of patents. Read more »
Published by Stephanie Sutton, PharmTech Europe on April 14, 2010
under Europe News
Patent expiries and the imminent threat of competition from generics is the bane of many pharmaceutical companies’ lives and I’m frequently reading and writing about the doom and gloom pharma is facing because of these issues. This is of course a serious issue for the industry, but there are many beneficiaries, including healthcare providers. Read more »
Published by Patricia Van Arnum on April 6, 2010
under Regulation, Trends
In a controversial ruling late last month, a federal judge ruled that several patents held by the molecular-diagnostics company Myriad Genetics in a genetic-testing product that covered two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are associated with risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers, were invalid. The decision raises the larger question of the patentability of genes, a significant issue in determining the rules of the game not only in molecular diagnostics but also in drug discovery and development. Read more »
Published by Erik Greb on February 1, 2010
under Europe News, North America News, Outsourcing, R&D, Trends
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 »
Published by Stephanie Sutton, PharmTech Europe on January 13, 2010
under Europe News, Regulation
The European Commission has said it will be taking a close look at patent settlements where an originator has paid off a generic competitor in return for delayed market entry of a generic drug. Only yesterday, the EC released a statement saying that it has asked certain pharmaceutical companies to submit copies of their patent settlement agreements completed between originator and generic companies between July 2008 and Dec. 31, 2009. Read more »
Published by Erik Greb on November 9, 2009
under Biotech, Manufacturing, North America News, Regulation, Trends
After much ado, the US House of Representatives passed a healthcare-reform bill this weekend. Drugmakers and commentators are understandably eager to parse the bill to find out what it would mean for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. So what’s the verdict? Read more »
Published by Erik Greb on November 2, 2009
under Latin & South America News, Manufacturing, Regulation
The pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries have jealously guarded their intellectual property for years. Companies routinely use patents to prevent competitors from making generic versions of their drugs. When pipelines have weakened, companies have developed new formulations or delivery methods to extend patent protection for their established drugs. The economic crisis has only sharpened this reflex.
That’s why news from Ecuador made me do a doubletake. Read more »
Published by Erik Greb on August 10, 2009
under Biotech, Manufacturing, North America News, R&D, Regulation
Last Thursday, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) weighed in on a patent issue that will soon be before the Supreme Court. In an amicus brief, BIO argued that the Court should overturn Bilski v. Doll, a decision of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The case involved Bernard L. Bilski’s method for hedging risks in commodities trading. Read more »
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