Pharmaceutical News Harvest ™

3/10 Novartis Loses $580K Preggo Rep Discrimination Lawsuit
Jury Verdict Against Novartis Pharmaceuticals For Retaliating Against Drug Sales Rep Who Took Maternity Leave … Upon returning from maternity leave, Breeden was informed that the change was permanent. Novartis reorganized the sales territories again, at which time they consolidated Breeden's territory with another and eliminated her position … [HealthNewsDigest]

3/10 What If Vaccine Plaintiff Wins Supreme Court Decision:
The Hidden Autism Agenda Behind the Vaccine Case Headed for the Supreme Court … nearly happened in the 1980s. All but one manufacturer of the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine exited the business after a few autism cases went against the companies, even though most experts believe vaccines do not cause autism…[BNET]

3/10 PhRMA Spokesman Ridicules FDA Policy Regarding Online Content
PhRMA to DDMAC: Let my people tweet … akin to using standards created for the horse and buggy to regulate automobiles … regulations developed for printed materials aimed at healthcare professionals to Internet communications  …[MM&M]
PhRMA Details Its Proposal for Internet and Social-Media Standards … seeking the adoption of a universal symbol that could be used in space-constrained media to indicate a direct link to FDA-regulated risk and benefit information …[PharmTechTalk]

3/10 Friday: Once Weekly Byetta Jab's Date With Destiny [2 Close 2 Call]
Amylin, Lilly and Alkermes Volatile All Week? … approved outright … approved with a restrictive label,  delayed for something minor,  delayed because the FDA will ask for another study…[CNBC]
Amylin, Lilly Diabetes Drug Faces Crucial FDA Decision … outright approval, or a so-called complete response letter that allows for approval by year-end …[NASDAQ]
See Also:  CNBC Video [ 03:35 ]
Editor's Note: NASDAQ report  quotes analysts who expect a green light and analysts who say FDA may delay decision until 2011 based on pancreatic complications and thyroid cancer.

3/10 Teva Leader Steps Down; Relocation  To US Possible, Not Likely
Israel's Teva says Chairman Hurvitz stands down … credited with transforming it into Israel's largest company with a market value of $57 billion … [Reuters]
Teva's secret weapon: Poison pill against hostile takeover …  American investors in Teva are seeking to control the company, appoint Teva's vice chairman Phillip Frost as chairman and move the corporate headquarters to the United States …[Haaretz Israel]
FYI: Jerusalem born Hurvitz is the Israeli equivalent of Steve Jobs.
Editor's Note: Haaretz report includes information regarding Teva's extensive poison pill provisions designed to thwart moving the company from Israel.

3/10 Pirfenidone: FDA Green Lights Med For  Hopelessly Terminal Ailment
InterMune Wins Panel's Backing for Novel Lung Therapy … idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an unexplained scarring and inflammation of the lungs that is usually fatal within five years…[Bloomberg]

3/10 Botox Gets Nod For Wrist, Finger
FDA approves Botox to treat wrist, finger spasms … that can result from stroke, brain injury or multiple sclerosis …[Reuters]
Allergan's Botox Approved by FDA for Muscle Spasms … hasn't been shown to be safe or effective in treating muscle spasms in other parts of the arms or in the legs and isn't intended as a substitute for physical therapy…[Bloomberg]

3/10 Ratiopharm Buyout: Cramer Says Pfizer Is Nuts
Pfizer's Folly … Someone want to tell me what Pfizer is doing with this potential acquisition of Ratiopharm and the subsequent bidding war with Teva Pharmaceutical and the Icelandic Actavis? … [Real Money]

3/10 Sanofi Merck Tie Up To Create Animal Health Titan
Sanofi, Merck to create animal health leader … expanding middle class in emerging markets becoming pet owners and requiring more protein in their diets. Also more elderly people are taking pets as the world's population ages…[Reuters]
See Also: Similar Report From Minyanville

Abbott Buys Biotech Company Facet; MS Antibody Onco Pipeline
Abbott Enhances Pharmaceutical Pipeline with Acquisition of Facet Biotech … daclizumab - a Phase II investigational biologic intended to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) that is expected to move into Phase III … Daclizumab is being developed in collaboration with Biogen Idec …[Abbott Press Release]
Abbott To Acquire Facet Biotech For $27 Per Share In Cash - Quick Facts …[RTT]

Bristol, AstraZeneca Plan Ambitious 5-Yr Onglyza Outcome Trial
Saxagliptin Assessment of Vascular Outcomes Recorded in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Trial (SAVOR-TIMI 53) … reduction in the composite endpoint of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal ischaemic stroke and to exclude an unacceptable cardiovascular toxicity … … [ Company Press Release ]

3/10 Fanapt: Marketeers Have Their Work Cut Out For Them
Novartis and Vanda Pharma's Schizophrenia Treatment May Be DOA … hoping to convince psychiatrists that its new schizophrenia treatment Fanapt is more than just another "me-too" … closely resembles Pfizer's SGA Geodon (ziprasidone) ...doesn't offer any unique chemical properties that separate it from the other second-generation atypical antipsychotics …

3/10 Internet Drug News Miscellaneous Short Takes:
A look at key 19  'new' Merck drugs in human testing
AP
Bristol-Myers CEO's 2009 compensation down 22 pct
AP
4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Pfizer
Motley Fool
AstraZeneca Drug Fails to Match Avastin in Test
Bloomberg

3/9 Blogger: Sepracor May Get Name Change
Pharma Name Games: So What If Sepracor Suddenly Becomes "Aptiom"? … should resist the temptation to go with "Dainippon Sumitomo," which most Americans have difficulty spelling and pronouncing … new company's moniker ...Aptiom … Fortunity ...Vistance ...Sagenesis …… [BNET]

3/9 Shoddy Ethics Reputation: Lilly Hires 4 Big Brothers
Eli Lilly to add ethics watchdogs … Last year, Lilly paid $1.4 billion, the largest criminal fine ever imposed on a U.S. corporation, over the illegal marketing of Zyprexa …[IndyStar]

3/9 Negotiating A Severance Package
Negotiating A Professional Reference Is Just As Important As A Severance Package … failure to do is one of the biggest blunders people make ... you need to know what your immediate past employer is going to say about you to prospective new ones. …[BioSpace]

3/9 Obama Vilifies Insurance Companies Reform Nears Home Stretch
Obama takes aim at health insurers … sought to draw a link between the insurers and another political foil -- big Wall Street companies -- by emphasizing their profit-hungry culture … [Reuters]

3/9 Glaxo Ponies Up For Anti-Tobacco Vaccine
Nabi closes license deal with GlaxoSmithKline … exclusive option to own the worldwide rights to Nabi's last drug candidate, NicVax, a vaccine to help smokers quit the habit ...deal could result in $460 million …[Washington BusinessJournal]

3/9 GSK Debuts Oddball HPV Ad During Oscars
Eau de Glaxo … looks like it might be an ad for yet another perfume, before finally morphing into the serious, darker topic of cervical cancer … But, by that time, they've got you …[CNBC]
See Also:  YouTube Video Of Above Cited Commercial

3/9 Supreme Court: Anti-Vaccine Activists Will Be Heard
Supreme Court accepts appeal over vaccine safety … Parents who say that a range of preventive vaccines given their young children can cause serious health problems will have their appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court …[CNN]
High Court to decide if vaccine makers can be sued …[Reuters]

3/9 Astra: Colon Cancer Drug Disappoints
Astra's colon cancer drug fails test … Recentin failed in a head to head late stage trial with Roche AG's Avastin in tests for use as an initial treatment against colon cancer….[AP]
See Also: AstraZeneca Press Release

3/9 Lilly Buys Stable Of Pfizer Animal Products
Lilly division buying rival's animal health products … animal health division, known as Elanco, employs more than 2,300 people worldwide. Last year it rang up sales of $1.2 billion …[IndyStar]
Lilly to Acquire European Rights to Pfizer Animal Health Assets … Strategic Fit For Elanco, Lilly's Animal Health Division  … vaccines, parasiticides and feed additives …[Lilly Press Release]
See Also: Elanco Website - Elanco is Lilly's animal product subsidiary

3/9 Dutch To H1N1 Makers: Give Us Our Guilders Back
Dutch government wants to sell flu vaccines back … wants to sell 21 million unused H1N1 flu vaccine doses back to their manufacturers after they proved unnecessary and no other country wanted to buy them …[Reuters]

3/9 King: Narcotic Pill Spiked Nauseant Has Desired Effect
Acura,  King  Announce Positive  Results of a Clinical Study Assessing Relative Abuse Potential … Acurox® Tablets contain a unique composition of oxycodone HCl, niacin, and essential functional inactive ingredients, and are intended to relieve moderate to severe pain while deterring common methods of prescription drug abuse …[King Press Release]

3/9 Internet Drug News Miscellaneous Short Takes:
Taro Gets generic Efudex® Topical Cream 5%
Taro Press Release
German Merck has more takeover ideas -CEO in paper
Reuters
Roche, Biogen suffer setback with rheumatoid arthritis drug
MarketWatch
Allergan CEO $11.1M in 2009, a decline of 18 percent
Baltimore Sun
Watson Confirms Filing of Generic Opana(R) ER Application
Watson Press Release
4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: sanofi-aventis
Motley Fool
GlaxoSmithKline Looking to Grow in India Via Buys
Wall Street Journal $$$
China Still Offers Opportunity of a Lifetime
TheStreet
Sanofi-Aventis Looks for More China Partnerships
ChinaBioToday
Exelixis to fire 270 workers
BizJournals

3/8 CNBC Blogger: Once Weekly Byetta Jab Could Be Delayed Till 2011
Battling Bets On Byetta … thinks the FDA is going to punt … believes the agency will want more data about possible side effects, which will push approval of the drug until mid or late 2011…[CNBC]
Aiming High for Amylin Pharmaceuticals … positive bias that Food and Drug Administration approval is likely although we are uncertain about the timing ...Drug User Fee Act date of Mar.12, and questions regarding thyroid safety may extend the approval date …[Barrons]

3/8 Sanofi Plans Xyzal Relaunch With Contest Component
Xyzal campaign to give allergies a 'Clean Sweep' … "Clean Sweep" campaign launch is slated for March 10 … Consumers will be encouraged to visit a new website, CleanSweepContest.com …[MM&M]

3/8 Pfizer: Sutent: $200 Per Pill: Worth It For Some
Miracle Cancer Drug Extends Life With $48,720 Cost …a third of those with GIST who switch to Sutent get no benefit ...drug has been a lifeline for thousands … metastatic cancer of GIST patients on Sutent was held in check for about 21 weeks longer than that of patients who began a clinical trial on a placebo,   …[Bloomberg]

3/8 Former McKesson Exec Gets 10 Years In $8.6 Bln Fraud
Ex-McKesson Chairman McCall Gets 10-Year Prison Term for Fraud… cost investors $8.6 billion, one of the largest white- collar crimes at the time ..."He knew what was going on even if he wasn't a co- conspirator …[Bloomberg]

3/8 DTC Spend Rose Modest 2% For '09
Drugmakers boost consumer ad spending 2 pct in '09 … combined $4.51 billion on ads for prescription medicines aimed at consumers. Two-thirds of that, or $3 billion, went for television ads, and another $1.19 billion was spent on magazine ..[AP]
See Also: List: Top 5 Drug DTC Spends

Pfizer CEO Pay  Shrunk 8% In 2009
Pfizer CEO got $13.7 million in 2009 compensation …$13.7 million, down 8%, due to weak economy … salary of $1.6 million, up just $25,000 from the year before. But his performance bonus was bumped up to $3.5 million from $3 million in 2008…[AP]

3/8 Insulin Pump Facts & Figures (Including Deaths)
FDA Panel:More Data Could Find Causes Of Insulin Pump Problems … number of Type I diabetics using insulin pumps has increased, to about 375,000 U.S. users in 2007… 12,000 reported a patient injury (such as problems with blood-glucose levels) and 310 deaths. …[NASDAQ]
FDA panel sees user errors with insulin pumps … Diabetics who wear insulin pumps appear more likely to experience problems from improper use than a device defect …[Reuters]

3/8 What Happens To Bristol After Plavix Dives?
How to Replace $6.1 Billion in Lost Revenue … expects to launch five new drugs by 2012, assuming the regulatory authorities agree. The biggest of the group might be cancer drug ipilimumab …[Motley Fool]

3/8 Internet Drug News Miscellaneous Short Takes:
Merck sues Teva over Vytorin Patent
Globes Israel
Sanofi: Women Claim Its Chemotherapy Left Them Permanently Bald
BNET
Cabazitaxel:  Sanofi Prostate Cancer Drug May Set New Standard
TheStreet
Law Firm Says GSK To Recall Poligrip In Japan
NASDAQ
Court Dismisses Latest Listerine Suit
ConsumerAffairs.com
Glaxo could face $6bn Avandia liability, says UBS
Guardian UK
Lesson from an Alzheimer-Drug Failure: Beware Russian Clinical Trial Data
BNET
Researchers: AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow
AP

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