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Pharmaceutical
Reversing an earlier negative recommendation, the UK drug watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) today announced that USA-based Celgene's (Nasdaq: CELG) Vidaza (azacitidine), the only licensed drug available specifically to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) - a range of life-threatening bone marrow disorders - will be available through the National Health Service in England and Wales. 17 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
The UK is ranked second among the 10 Western European markets surveyed in Business Monitor International's Business Environment Ratings for first-quarter 2011, moving up from fifth position in the previous quarter. 17 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
South African Health Minister of Health's decision not to award any increase in the single exit price of drugs this year was in line with the agreed methodology and came as no surprise to the industry, pharmaceutical companies, reports the local Star newspaper. 14 February 2011
Generics
Some drug manufacturers in the USA are aggressively pushing legislative proposals in North Dakota and other states across the country that, if enacted, would undermine electronic prescribing's (e-prescribing) proven safety and savings benefits, alleges the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which represents the nation's pharmacy benefit managers. 14 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
A vaccine to protect children against pneumococcal diseases will be launched in Kenya next week as part of an international program to bring the new vaccine to poor countries. Kenya will be one of the first African countries to receive the new pneumococcal vaccine. 11 February 2011
Generics
Although faster approval times for generic drugs will get them into consumers' hands quicker, this may not make the price any better, a Canadian pricing and marketing researcher has found. 9 February 2011
Generics
In the USA, many common generic drugs beat brand names when it comes to safety, efficacy and cost. Yet many consumers are not taking advantage of the discount drug programs offering these drugs at prices as low as $4 a month, according to a new report from Consumer Reports, an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union. 9 February 2011
Generics
Domestic sales of pharmaceutical in Switzerland fell for the first time on record last year. According to the consultancy IMS Health, turnover fell by 1.3% to 4.82 billion Swiss francs ($5.1 billion) based on ex-factory prices, following a 3.4% rise the previous year. Sales of generic drugs grew by 4% to 468 million francs. Overall sales of drugs covered by the state insurance system edged up 0.1% to 3.8 billion francs. 7 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
The Brazil government will provide free medicine for diabetes and hypertension to Brazilians, starting from mid-February, the country's new President Dilma Rousseff announced last week, according to the Xinhau news agency. 7 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
In draft guidance published yesterday (February 1) the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends the use of naftidrofuryl oxalate (the active ingredient in German drug major Merck KGaA's brand product Praxilene) as a treatment option for people who suffer from the painful symptoms of peripheral arterial disease called intermittent claudication. 2 February 2011
Pharmaceutical
Germany's pharmaceutical industry has always been able to set its own prices for the branded drugs it brings to the domestic market. But now change is afoot. The government is determined to 'break the price monopoly' of the industry, as the Health Ministry put it last year. Last summer it introduced a three-year price freeze and raised the mandatory discount drugmakers must offer state health insurers from 10% to 16% (The Pharma Letter October 1 and September 17, 2010). Since the beginning of this year, private health insurers can also demand the discount. 28 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
Intense promotional activities by drug makers and the rapid roll-out of health insurance coverage in China have boosted Business Monitor International's short-term expenditure forecast for the country. Accordingly, BMI has increased its forecast US dollar 2009-14 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 13.8% to 16.4%, noting that the dynamics of China's $47 billion pharmaceutical market have changed. 28 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
Two separate reports on the Spanish pharmaceutical industry were released this week, one from Business Monitor International and the other from Datamonitor, which review the prospects for the sector in Spain. 26 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
Shares of UK pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) edged 1.3% higher by 1pm yesterday, after the company announced the start of two global Phase III studies in advanced or metastatic melanoma patients with a BRAF V600 mutation. 25 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
The Russian government is considering introducing a state control over prices for all the drugs in the domestic market, priced at more than 100 roubles ($3.34). Such a proposal has recently been proposed by the Federal Commission on Safety of Medical Business (FCSMB). 25 January 2011
Generics
Growth will slow to just 1.3% to 2015 for the branded prescription pharmaceutical industry's leading companies, according to latest research from independent market analyst, Datamonitor. 24 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
Despite a growing national AIDS drug crisis in the USA, independent German pharmaceutical major Boehringer Ingelheim 'has steadfastly refused to offer increased access to its lifesaving AIDS drugs or to respond in any way to repeated requests by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, to do its part in creating a solution,' claims the AHF. 21 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
While the Latvian ruling coalition approved an additional allocation of 26.2 million lats ($46.65 million) for the health care sector, as a result of intense public pressure, this was widely regarded as a pre-election move, notes a new report from Business Monitor International. 21 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) today published its final appraisal determination containing final recommendations on the use of specific treatments for Alzheimer's disease. The new ruling means Alzheimer's patients will now have access to treatment from the earliest stage of the disease. 18 January 2011
Pharmaceutical
The UK government's Cancer Drugs Fund is a real opportunity to improve patient access to innovative medicines and reverse the trend of the UK lagging behind other comparative countries in cancer treatment, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. 18 January 2011
Biotechnology
The UK’s health technology assessor the Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says that talks with the makers of Enhertu have ended without agreement, meaning guidance that does not recommend Enhertu for advanced breast cancer will remain unchanged. 20 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Johnson & Johnson has taken legal action to defend a contentious rebate initiative, filing a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Sanofi has announced that the UK's health technology assessor will conduct a new review of its Sarclisa (isatuximab) combo therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. 13 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
The US trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today launched new advertisements urging Congress to make sure savings on medicines go to patients, not middlemen. 11 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Danish patients are being offered fewer innovative treatments than Norwegians and Swedes, a new estimate from the Danish Medicines Council shows. 11 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
UK pharma major AstraZeneca today announced that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its final draft guidance (FDG) recommending Wainzua (eplontersen) as a treatment option for hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis (ATTR) in adults with stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy across England and Wales. 29 October 2024
Biotechnology
Last week Vertex Pharmaceuticals released positive Phase III results for its suzetrigine for moderate-to-severed pain. Belgium’s UCB revealed that Swiss pharma giant Roche was terminating its collaboration on the Alzheimer’s candidate bepranemab. The UK’s health technology assessor the Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) declined to recommend a second Alzheimer’s treatment, this time Eli Lilly’s Kisunla. Also of note, Lyell Immunopharma announced its planned acquisition of ImmPACT Bio and reprioritization of its own clinical pipeline. 27 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated its Clinical Practice Guidelines for breast cancer, providing a boost to Novartis' Kisqali (ribociclib). 24 October 2024
Biotechnology
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved US pharma major Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) Kisunla (donanemab) for people in Britain with mild cognitive impairment or those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. 23 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), yesterday released new data showing that nearly 1.5 million people with Medicare Part D saved nearly $1 billion in out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs in the first half of 2024 because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 23 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended elafibranor 80mg tablets for the treatment of PBC, the drug’s French developer Ipsen announced today. 22 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has released its final report assessing the effectiveness and pricing of key treatments for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). 22 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) says it has submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to inform the agency’s 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. 21 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
“The new key figures from the NZa show that Dutch expenditure on expensive medicines remains stable,” says Mark Kramer, chairman of the Association of Innovative Medicines (VIG), adding: “That is good news from a social perspective.” 21 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
The Danish Medicines Council (Medicinrådet), responsible for evaluating and recommending new treatments for Denmark’s healthcare system, is facing a significant increase in processing times. 14 October 2024
Generics
Two US units of Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have agreed to pay $450 million to resolve two matters that allege Teva violated the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the False Claims Act (FCA), the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced yesterday. 11 October 2024
Biosimilars
South Korea’s Samsung Bioepis has released its Fourth Quarter 2024 Biosimilar Market Report, marking the seventh-edition of the Quarterly Biosimilar Market Report in the United States. 11 October 2024
Biotechnology
US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli (teclistamab) has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a first-line option to treat myeloma in England and Wales. 10 October 2024
Generics
CMS released a Request for Information (RFI) and a sample list of prescription drugs that the agency preliminarily intends to include under the proposed Medicare $2 Drug List Model. 10 October 2024
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb’s recent approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia is a win for the company. 9 October 2024
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