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Generics
By opening the door to competition from generic drugmakers, Ecuador is making a critical HIV/AIDS drug much more affordable for that country's public treatment programs - a move that other countries should follow, the US consumer watchdog Public Citizen has declared. 26 April 2010
Generics
In a final ruling from the European Court of Justice yesterday in the case of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) versus the UK regulatory body, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the court ruled that public authorities can offer financial incentives to induce doctors to prescribe cheaper medicinal products. 23 April 2010
Generics
US pharmacy benefits firm Express Scripts says it is the first organization ever to quantify the hidden health care costs of very common behaviors related to prescription drugs, such as forgetfulness and procrastination, estimating the annual wasteful spending in the USA at $163 billion. 23 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
A grave risk is emerging that the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will be unable to continue supporting the development of new medicines in the future, pharmaceutical industry trade group Medicines Australia chief executive Brendan Shaw told an industry conference this week. 23 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) last week directed $29.5 million in economic stimulus funds to 9,000 programs nationwide that aim to put straightforward, unbiased information about the wide range of available prescription drug treatments - known as 'comparative effectiveness research' - into the hands of America's physicians and their patients. 21 April 2010
Generics
Health authorities in the United Arab Emirates may start encouraging the sale of generic drugs to drive down the cost prescription medications. A senior official at the Abu Dhabi Health Authority Dhabi (HAAD) has called for the introduction of cost-effective drugs across Abu Dhabi through a strategy that does not compromise patient safety. 16 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
In a submission to an Australian Senate Inquiry which was released this week, the pharmaceutical trade group Medicines Australia has called on the government to think carefully about how it manages the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. 16 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
The French pharmaceutical market will increase in value in 2009 (in local currency terms), having declined the previous year, according to Drug Expenditure Forecast Model, a report from Research and Markets. During 2008, over the- counter (OTC) and prescription medicine sales were 30.00 billion euros ($40.61 billion), down from 31.00 billion euros in 2007. In 2009, it is expected that drug sales will increase by 0.83% to reach 30.25 billion euros. However, in US dollar terms, as a result of the weakening of the euro, drug sales will experience a 3.43% decline from $44.12 billion in 2008 to reach $42.61 billion in 2009. This will affect the rest of the forecasts in the report. 12 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
A new study presented last Friday at the US Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's 22nd Annual Meeting, held in San Diego, finds that one in six cancer patients with high out-of-pocket (OOP) costs abandons their medication. 12 April 2010
Generics
The Canadian Province of Ontario plans to further reform the prescription drug system to provide better access to lower-cost generic drugs for patients, while continuing to increase annual funding to the drug system as a whole. 9 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
In an about turn by the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency has given a positive 'Final Appraisal Determination' for US drug major Eli Lilly's lung cancer drug Alimta (pemetrexed for injection). 7 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
German Health Minister Philipp Roesler has now fleshed out the governing coalition's proposals to contain the cost of branded drugs in Germany (The Pharma Letter March 22) ' and the pharmaceutical industry lobby has 'reacted with fury,' reports the Financial Times Deutschland. Cornelia Yzer, general manager of the trade group VFA, has accused him of plunging the industry into 'crisis.' 6 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
UK Tory party pledges to provide expensive cancer drugs not backed by the NICE 6 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
Prescription charges were abolished on Thursday in Northern Ireland and cut to 3 ($4.47) in Scotland. However, UK Health Minister Mike O'Brian announced last week, charges in England have remained at 7.20 for 2010/11 with no changes to age-exemption criteria, health minister UK Mike O'Brien announced last week. 6 April 2010
Generics
'It is time for European policy makers to take actions to ensure a long term healthy generic business in Europe,' stated Greg Perry, director general of the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) at the 2nd Sustainability Conference organized by the trade group in Brussels, Belgium. Mr Perry declared that sustainability of the European generic medicines industry was under significant pressure, thereby placing both the long-term provision of healthcare for Europe's citizens and the European industrial competitiveness at serious risk. 1 April 2010
Pharmaceutical
The Ukrainian economy was dangerously close to collapse in 2009. The performance of the pharmaceutical market has reflected a very rocky year. The devaluation of the hryvnia is expected to drive a 27.1% contraction in value in 2009, though growth of 18.1% will be seen in local currency terms, according to Business Monitor International's latest forecasts. 1 April 2010
Generics
The Ethical Medicines Industry Group (EMIG) has urged the UK Department of Health not to introduce automatic generic substitution in primary care. In a recent survey of EMIG member companies, 85% felt that Option 1 should be the preferred option1 because it is the option least likely to compromise patient safety. 31 March 2010
Generics
Despite a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.19% in local currency terms and 6.70% in US dollar terms from 2004-2009, Business Monitor International's outlook for the Netherlands drug market is less optimistic over the subsequent five years. From 2009-2014 a CAGR of -0.01% is projected in local currency terms (-2.12% in US dollar terms), largely as a result of the impending patent cliff and the subsequent consumption of lower-value generic drugs in place of high-value patented drugs. 31 March 2010
Generics
US drugmaker Cephalon has received a Complete Response letter from the Food and Drug Administration for its supplemental new drug application for Nuvigil (armodafinil) in the treatment of patients with excessive sleepiness associated with jet lag disorder resulting from eastbound travel, raising questions about "the robustness" of data in a study of the drug regarding a subjective assessment called the Patient Global Impression of Severity. 30 March 2010
Pharmaceutical
There was some positive news for French drug major Sanofi-Aventis late yesterday, when the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in England and Wales published a new appraisal consultation document for Multaq (dronedarone) indicating its intention to recommend use of the drug for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). 30 March 2010
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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