U.S. approves Monsanto drought-tolerant GM corn

2011-12-22T09:30:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Monsanto's genetically engineered, drought resistant corn is deregulated, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Thursday, clearing the variety for sale.

USDA approved the variety after reviewing environm...

Actavis prepares for end of generic drugs model

2011-12-21T08:30:39Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Western generic drugmakers need to adapt to cope with rapid changes in the pharmaceuticals market that are blurring the distinctions between innovator companies and makers of cheaper copycat products.

That is the view of Claudio Albrecht, chief executive of Swiss-based Actavis, which struck a deal on Wednesday with Reuters) - Three of Europe's biggest drugmakers -- AstraZeneca , Novartis and Sanofi -- re...

Amgen, Watson to collaborate on cancer biosimilars

2011-12-19T14:31:03Z

DEC 19 - Amgen Inc, the world's largest biotechnology company, and generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc, said on Monday they will work together to develop and sell biosimilar versions of several biotech cancer drugs.

The companies, which plan to sell biosimilar products under a joint Amgen/Watson label, did not identify which...

Amgen,Watson to collaborate on cancer biosimilars

2011-12-19T14:00:21Z

The companies, which plan to sell biosimilar products under a joint Amgen/Watson label, did not identify which...

Merck CEO defends hefty research spending

2011-12-13T13:00:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The chief executive of Merck & Co on Tuesday defended his refusal to slash the drugmaker's $8 billion research budget and warned that global price constraints threaten the pharmaceutical industry's ability to innovate.

The drug industry is embroiled in a debate over whether companies are spending too much on research given a poor track record in developing ne...

AstraZeneca slashes 1,150 U.S. sales jobs

2011-12-07T11:30:17Z

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is cutting nearly a quarter of its U.S. sales force in a second wave of redundancies in as many months as it seeks to reduce costs.

Britain's second biggest drugmaker...

AstraZeneca to cut 1,150 U.S. sales jobs

2011-12-07T11:00:07Z

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca is cutting nearly a quarter of its U.S. sales force in a second wave of redundancies in as many months as it seeks to reduce costs.

Britain's second biggest drugmaker...

AstraZeneca to cut 1,150 sales jobs in U.S.

2011-12-07T10:30:38Z

(Reuters) - AstraZeneca said it will cut about 1,150 U.S. sales jobs, and expects to take a related charge of about $50-$100 million in the fourth quarter.

The company said the job cuts, which will account for about 24 percent of the company's U.S. sales force, will not impact its 2...

Top-grade stem cells seen boosting research trials

2011-12-07T05:30:23Z

LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have made the first human embryonic stem cells of a high enough grade to use in patients and deposited them in a public stem cell bank for development in human trials by drug companies and researchers by 2014.

A team from King's College London said on Monday they were ...

FDA cites violations at three Novartis plants

2011-12-06T12:30:32Z

(Reuters) - Drug regulators cited Novartis AG for "significant violations" of manufacturing regulations at its three generic drug plants in the United States and Canada, several of which were repeat offenses.

Reuters) - The government urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of a generic drugmaker in a case over how companies can fight brand-name rivals to get cheaper drugs to market.

The nation's top court on Monday heard arguments about whether the generics company, Reuters) - Regulators and drugmakers need to find ways to make more clinical data openly available, since vital knowledge about fighting disease is often locked away in confidential databases, the head of the U.S. drugs watchdog said on Monday.

Food and Drug Administration

Court rejects Teva appeal over cholesterol drug Crestor

2011-12-02T11:30:25Z

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to revive Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's patent infringement suit against AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP for the rights to Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and Teva Pharmceutical Industries Ltd were sued by Walgreen Co and four other large retailers, accused of violating U.S. antitrust law by conspiring to keep generic v...

Facebook apologizes for Merck homepage mix-up

2011-11-28T15:00:25Z

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Monday that it made a mistake in letting Merck & Co take over a page on the social networking website from its German rival Merck KGaA.

The takeover prompted an unusual November 21 filing by Merck KGaA with a New York state court.

...

Recipient doing well after first artificial windpipe graft

2011-11-23T21:30:16Z

The word's first artificial windpipe transplant has been such a success that a second operation has been carried out and a third is being planned, The Lancet reported on Thursday.

Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, a 36-year-old Eritrean, is doing well after undergoing the ground-breaking operation in Stockholm in June, it said.

Beyene, a post-graduate g...

Merck said to hijack German rival's Facebook page

2011-11-23T14:00:14Z

(Reuters) - German drugmaker Merck KGaA accused U.S. rival Merck & Co of hijacking its Facebook page and said it plans to sue to get it back.

Merck KGaA asked a New York judge to force Facebook Inc to turn over information to help determine how the Germa...

Merck fined $950 mn over painkiller marketing

2011-11-23T05:30:22Z

Pharmaceutical giant Merck will pay nearly $1 billion to resolve criminal and civil charges for wrongfully marketing its former hit painkiller Vioxx, the US Department of Justice said.

Merck agreed to plead guilty to breaking the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act after it promoted Vioxx for rheumatoid arthritis when the drug had not been approved for that disease...

FDA warns Mylan on Puerto Rico plant violations

2011-11-22T08:00:24Z

(Reuters) - U.S. drug regulators found "significant violations" of manufacturing regulations at Mylan Inc's Caguas, Puerto Rico, facility, according to a letter posted on Tuesday.

A Reuters) - A continuing shortage of some essential medicines in Britain is to be investigated by members of parliament, following complaints by pharmacists that vital supplies are being lost to exports.

The All-Party Pharmacy Group, which announced its inquiry on Monday, said shortages in the supply chain had be...

Returns on R&D tumble at world's top drugmakers

2011-11-21T08:00:34Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Investment returns from researching new drugs have fallen nearly 30 percent in the past year at the world's 12 top pharmaceutical companies, highlighting the productivity dilemma facing the sector, according to a report on Monday.

The average internal rate of return (IRR) from research and development dropped to 8.4 percent from 11.8 percent a year ago ...

Novartis unit pays $150 million to end drug-price dispute

2011-11-20T05:00:12Z

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis' Sandoz unit has agreed to pay $150 million Swiss francs to settle claims it charged the U.S. and state governments inflated prices for drugs, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday.

Under the deal Novartis will pay the U.S. government $86.5 m...

Apple names Levinson chair; Disney CEO joins board

2011-11-15T14:00:25Z

(Reuters) - Apple Inc named long-serving director Arthur Levinson chairman of its board, filling a seat vacated by co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in October after a years-long struggle with cancer.

U.S. doctors group supports fight on drug shortages

2011-11-14T15:00:32Z

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The American Medical Association threw its support behind government efforts to ensure the supply of lifesaving medicines but stopped short of recommending financial penalties against drug companies.

The influential...

No need for new cost cut plan at Roche: chairman

2011-11-13T03:00:07Z

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG does not need a new cost cutting program after it announced a big savings plan last year, Chairman Franz Humer told a newspaper on Sunday.

"We don't need new programs....

Petri dish to dinner plate, in-vitro meat coming soon

2011-11-11T09:00:23Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists are cooking up new ways of satisfying the world's ever-growing hunger for meat.

"Cultured meat" -- burgers or sausages grown in laboratory Petri dishes rather than made from slaughtered livestock -- could be the answer that feeds the world, saves the environment and spares the lives of millions of animals, they say.

Granted, it may take a while to catch on...

Art Auction

2010-12-07T16:32:01Z

This photograph provided by Farnsworth Art Museum show the 1969 painting "Portrait of Andrew Wyeth," by his son Jamie Wyeth. The oil painting has sold for $2.4 million at an auction to benefit the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. It was a record amount for a Jamie ...

Pfizer CEO Resigns

2010-12-05T19:01:36Z

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2009 file photo, Jeffrey Kindler, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, speaks at a news conference in New York. Kindler, the head of the world's biggest drugmaker, Pfizer Inc., has stepped down unexpectedly after less than five years at the helm. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Eli Lilly Acquisition

2010-11-08T08:31:01Z

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2006 file photo, the Eli Lilly and Company headquarters in pictured in Indianapolis. Drugmaker Eli Lilly said Monday, Nov. 8, 2010, it will buy Avid Radiopharmaceuticals in a deal that could be worth up to $800 million. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)<...

Earns Pfizer

2010-11-02T12:31:43Z

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2009 file photo, a sign at Pfizer world headquarters in New York is shown. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. said Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, revenue in the third quarter jumped 39 percent due to its acquisition of fellow drugmaker Wyeth, but hefty charges dragged its profit down 70 percent. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

Pfizer King Pharmaceuticals

2010-10-12T06:02:45Z

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2009 file photo, Pfizer's world headquarters is shown in New York. Pfizer Inc., the world's largest pharmaceutical company by revenue, said Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010, it will buy pain drug maker King Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $3.6 billion in cash. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

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