Business: Pharmaceutical

U.S. group questions AstraZeneca's Crestor patent

Reuters - Wed Jul 1, 12:16 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. patent research group says it has uncovered evidence that could be used to declare AstraZeneca Plc's patent for its cholesterol fighter Crestor invalid.

  • A bottle of Tylenol, which contains the ingredient acetaminophen, appears with its box wrapper, in Walpole, Mass., Tuesday, June 30, 2009. In a series of votes Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration panel endorsed lowering the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen — the key ingredient in Tylenol, Excedrin and other medications. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
    FDA panel: Lower maximum daily dose of Tylenol AP - Tue Jun 30, 10:51 PM ET

    ADELPHI, Md. - Government experts called for sweeping safety restrictions Tuesday on the most widely used painkiller, including reducing the maximum dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.

  • Pfizer discontinues Sutent colon cancer study AP - Tue Jun 30, 5:26 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Pfizer is discontinuing a late-stage study of its cancer drug Sutent (SOO-tent) as an initial treatment for colon cancer because the drug is not proving effective enough.

  • Teva, Antares get FDA OK for hormone in new device AP - Mon Jun 29, 4:11 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Antares Pharma Inc. said Monday the companies received Food and Drug Administration approval for use of the human growth hormone Tev-Tropin in a needle-free injection system.

  • Dogs helping injured soldiers under gov't program AP - Sun Jun 28, 1:12 PM ET

    FORT CARSON, Colo. - Army Specialist Cameron Briggs washes down a cocktail of prescription drugs every day for post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury he suffered when four roadside bombs rocked his Humvee in Iraq.

  • View of outside the County of Los Angeles Coroners office, on June 26. Michael Jackson's cause of death would not be confirmed for several weeks, according to officials, as attention has turned to the possible involvement of drugs in the tragic King of Pop's demise.(AFP/Gabriel Bouys)
    Prescription drugs in spotlight after Jackson death AFP - Sat Jun 27, 9:38 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Michael Jackson's death has lifted a veil on the sinister underbelly of fame, with associates of the pop icon hitting out at celebrity-dazzled doctors who funnel powerful narcotics to the stars.

  • FDA panel backs Ista drug for eye allergies AP - Fri Jun 26, 3:59 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - A panel of federal experts said Friday an anti-itching drug from eye care company Ista Pharmaceuticals is safe and effective, according to a government spokeswoman.

  • U.S. seizes Caraco drugs over manufacturing problems Reuters - Thu Jun 25, 4:00 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities seized generic medicines made by Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd at plants in Michigan following repeated violations of manufacturing standards, regulators said on Thursday.

  • Watson gets FDA approval for generic Plan B AP - Wed Jun 24, 6:06 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday it recieved Food and Drug Administration approval for a generic version of Duramed Pharmaceuticals' Plan B emergency contraceptive.

  • Drug deals cost U.S. consumers $3.5 bln a year: FTC Reuters - Tue Jun 23, 1:06 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumers, insurance companies and the federal government spend an extra $3.5 billion for prescription drugs every year because brand-name companies pay generic producers to stay out of the market, the head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.

  • President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the health care system at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association in Chicago, Illinois, June 15, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
    Obama announces agreement with drug companies AP - Mon Jun 22, 12:28 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the pharmaceutical industry's agreement to help close a gap in Medicare's drug coverage, calling the pact a step forward in the push for overhaul of the health care system.

  • FILE - In this April 2, 2009 file photo, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., left, and the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa talk on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, FILE)
    Baucus, White House in deal with drug industry AP - Sat Jun 20, 5:09 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - The pharmaceutical industry agreed Saturday to spend $80 billion over the next decade improving drug benefits for seniors on Medicare and defraying the cost of President Barack Obama's health care legislation, capping secretive negotiations with the White House and key lawmakers.

  • 'Data mining' for drug companies goes to courts AP - Fri Jun 19, 7:33 PM ET

    MONTPELIER, Vt. - The prescription drugs you take are on the minds of a lot of people: judges on two federal courts, legislators in several states, countless doctors and, at the center, the companies that make money by figuring out who's prescribing what.

  • Par announces mixed offering for $150 million AP - Fri Jun 19, 4:49 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Par Pharmaceutical Cos. said Friday it is selling up to $150 million in a mixed shelf offering and plans to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.

  • The skyline of Beijing's central business district. China will end a nine-month ban on initial public offerings, or IPOs, with a share sale by Guilin Sanjin Pharmaceutical, the company has said in a statement.(AFP/File/Frederic J. Brown)
    China ends nine-month IPO ban AFP - Fri Jun 19, 2:14 AM ET

    SHANGHAI (AFP) - China will end a nine-month ban on initial public offerings, or IPOs, with a share sale by Guilin Sanjin Pharmaceutical, the company has said in a statement.

  • Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon, seen here in March 2009, is to star in a new comedy about the pharmaceutical business "Pharm Girl," entertainment industry reports said Thursday.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jason Merritt)
    Witherspoon prescribed 'Pharm Girl' AFP - Thu Jun 18, 12:21 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon is to star in a new comedy about the pharmaceutical business "Pharm Girl," entertainment industry reports said Thursday.

  • Shire, J&J win key drug data case at top EU court Reuters - Thu Jun 18, 6:11 AM ET

    LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Shire and Johnson & Johnson won the backing of Europe's highest court on Thursday in their battle for data exclusivity against a generic rival for Alzheimer's drug Reminyl, the court said.

  • Watson Pharma to buy Arrow group for $1.75B AP - Wed Jun 17, 6:07 PM ET

    NEW YORK - Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Wednesday it will buy smaller generic drug maker Arrow Group for $1.75 billion in cash and stock, getting access to a promising drug candidate pipeline and new markets.

  • A Wall Street sign outside the New York Stock Exchange. US President Barack Obama urged Americans, who celebrate Independence Day, to implement broad economic and social reforms, expressing confidence the country will be able to overcome the challenges it is facing.(AFP/File/Stan Honda)
    Nasdaq advances with tech, but banks curb Dow, S&P Reuters - Wed Jun 17, 5:12 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Technology shares buoyed the Nasdaq on Wednesday after positive broker comments on Qualcomm, but financial shares' losses held back the Dow and the S&P 500.

  • Watson to go global with $1.75 billion Arrow buy Reuters - Wed Jun 17, 11:31 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Wednesday that it would buy privately held Arrow Group for $1.75 billion, clinching a long-expected deal by the U.S. generic drugmaker to expand internationally.

  • FDA panel backs Savient Pharmaceuticals' gout drug AP - Tue Jun 16, 5:26 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - A panel of arthritis experts say a gout drug made by Savient Pharmaceuticals should be approved, despite some reports of heart problems in patients tested with the drug.

  • Topless sunbathers enjoy a sunny morning at the Bondi Beach area of Sydney, December 30, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
    Common skin cancer drug smoothes wrinkles: study Reuters - Mon Jun 15, 5:06 PM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - A cream used to treat the early signs of skin cancer may erase wrinkles and leave behind younger-looking skin, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

  • Boehringer, Vitae partner on Alzheimer's drugs AP - Mon Jun 15, 11:33 AM ET

    TRENTON, N.J. - German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim and Vitae Pharmaceuticals said Monday they are partnering to develop enzyme-inhibiting drugs with the potential to slow or even halt progression of Alzheimer's disease.

  • Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis' headquarters in Basel. The company has completed a first batch of swine flu vaccine for pre-clinical trials and aims to make a version available in the fall, the company said(AFP/File/Sebastien Bozon)
    Novartis produces first batch of swine flu vaccine AFP - Fri Jun 12, 3:38 AM ET

    BASEL, Switzerland (AFP) - Swiss drugs giant Novartis has completed a first batch of swine flu vaccine for pre-clinical trials and aims to make a version available in the fall, the company said.

  • FDA panel backs 3 psychiatric drugs for kids AP - Wed Jun 10, 5:25 PM ET

    ADELPHI, Md. - Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that three blockbuster psychiatric drugs appear safe and effective for children and adolescents, despite side effects that can increase the risk of diabetes.

  • Pollution experts: Save fish from drugs in water AP - Tue Jun 9, 3:53 PM ET

    Pollution experts on Tuesday pressed a congressional panel for stronger action to keep pharmaceuticals and other contaminants out of the water, saying they are hurting fish and may threaten human health.

  • The GlaxoSmithKline headquarters in west London. The pharmaceutical giant has said it had sealed a joint venture with Chinese biotechnology group Shenzhen Neptunus focused on making flu vaccines for China and neighbouring territories.(AFP/File/Odd Andersen)
    GSK deal to provide China with flu vaccines AFP - Tue Jun 9, 3:25 AM ET

    LONDON (AFP) - Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has said it had sealed a joint venture with Chinese biotechnology group Shenzhen Neptunus focused on making flu vaccines for China and neighbouring territories.

  • Key hearing set in Anna Nicole Smith death case Reuters - Mon Jun 8, 6:00 PM ET

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A judge on Monday ordered Anna Nicole Smith's longtime boyfriend and two doctors to face a hearing in August to determine if they must stand trial for illegally supplying the Playboy model with prescription drugs for years before she died of an accidental overdose.

  • Walgreens halting Delaware Medicaid prescriptions AP - Thu Jun 4, 9:03 PM ET

    DOVER, Del. — Walgreens, the largest pharmacy chain in Delaware, says it will stop filling Medicaid prescriptions at all of its drugstores in the state because of a change in reimbursement rates.

  • Abbott, AstraZeneca seek cholesterol pill approval AP - Thu Jun 4, 6:43 PM ET

    NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. - Abbott Laboratories and AstraZeneca PLC on Thursday asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve a drug that combines their cholesterol pills TriLipix and Crestor.