Archive for the 'Generics' Category
July 29th, 2010 by admin
Milestone payments are becoming an increasingly familiar aspect of many biotech deals, as buyers try to mitigate the risks inherent with big purchases. Take Celgene’s $2.9 billion buyout of Abraxis; the biotech giant set aside $650 million in milestone payments if Abraxis’ key drug Abraxane hit certain goals. “These structures are a great way for buyer and seller to share the risk that’s related to drug development,” says analyst Brett Skolnik. Milestones also encourage buyer and seller to look beyond the merger, making it more likely the deal will be beneficial to both sides in the long term.
Continue reading ‘Milestones Mitigate Risk in Biotech Deals’
July 27th, 2010 by admin
Oncologics, lipid regulators, respiratory agents, antidiabetics and anti-ulcerants are the five largest drug classes by sales. But annual sales are only half the story. Which drug classes are booming, and which have plateaued–or even dropped? IMS Health has released top-line industry data revealing the 15 largest drug classes, and we’ve crunched the numbers to take a closer look at the average sales growth of the 15 largest therapeutic classes over the last five years.
Continue reading ‘Fastest Growing Therapeutic Classes (by Sales)’
July 26th, 2010 by admin
Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) is looking to its pipeline to fill the gaps left by a number of high-profile drugs coming off patent. In October 2011, blockbuster Zyprexa will fall to generic competition; additionally, about three-quarters of Lilly’s current revenue comes from eight drugs that will lose patent protection between now and 2017. ”We have the challenge of replenishing our product portfolio from our pipeline,” says CEO John Lechleiter in a USA Today interview. “Fortunately, we have the most exciting pipeline today in our history.”
Continue reading ‘Pipeline to Soften Lilly Patent Losses’
July 16th, 2010 by admin
Over the next five years, the market for biosimilars will swell to $10 billion, but only a handful of players with deep pockets and world-class R&D facilities will be able to play. And that means that most small- and medium-size drug developers will never have a chance of leaping into the new market for follow-on biologics.
Continue reading ‘Only the Biggest Developers can play the Biosimilar Game’
July 7th, 2010 by admin
The clock is ticking on Pfizer’s final, 18-month countdown on its $11.5 billion Lipitor franchise, but analysts are growing increasing fretful about the pharma giant’s ability to find new drugs to fill the looming revenue chasm. Pfizer had to admit that it suspended a slate of osteoarthritis trials after its highly touted pain drug tanezumab–billed as the world’s first likely biologic for pain–was linked to potentially perilous safety issues. And that came just two days after the company had to pull the cancer therapy Mylotarg from the market.
Continue reading ‘Pfizer’s Litany of Pipeline Snafus Cause Analysts to Fret’
July 1st, 2010 by admin
Drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulants and prescription medications are more and more what people are choosing according to the United Nations Drug Report for 2010. The number using such drugs will eventually exceed those using opiates and cocaine. Drug use in developed countries has remained relatively stable says the document. But in developing countries it is increasing.
Continue reading ‘Synthetic Drug Users at Thirty to Forty Million’
June 15th, 2010 by admin
What three trends are most important to pharma these days? Generics, emerging markets and personalized medicine, according to the Harvard Business Review. Branded generics are the wave of Big Pharma’s future, HBR says. These branded versions of off-patent meds sell at higher prices than regular generics do, but are cheaper than the branded meds themselves. They give a measure of assurance to patients worried about counterfeit meds–and to those concerned that unbranded generics won’t work as well as their branded counterparts. They also offer drugmakers a niche in emerging countries.
Continue reading ‘Pharma Trifecta: Generics, New Markets and Personalization’
May 25th, 2010 by admin
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have reported evidence that the orphan generic drug dichloroacetate (DCA) may hold promise as potential therapy for perhaps the deadliest of all human cancers: a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. The report is published at the journal Science Translational Medicine, a journal of the American Association of the Advancement of Science.
Continue reading ‘Generic Drug May be Potential Treatment for Deadly Brain Cancer’
May 10th, 2010 by admin
The Johnson & Johnson children’s drug recall has spawned a congressional investigation, of the company’s performance on one side and of federal regulators on the other, the Washington Post reports. Spearheading the inquiry are Reps. Edolphus Towns and Darrell Issa, who head up the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform.
Continue reading ‘J&J Children’s Drug Recall – Congressional Investigation’
March 19th, 2010 by admin
While the much-talked-about patent cliff won’t hit until 2011, 2010 will still see patent expirations of some of the industry’s blockbuster drugs. Teva, Apotex, Mylan and a slew of other generic drugmakers will have a chance to put a dent in the sales of a number of brand meds this year – including Flomax and Aricept.
Continue reading ‘Big Patent Expirations of 2010′
