AstraZeneca to build $200 million plant in China
AstraZeneca has unveiled plans for a $200 million investment in a new manufacturing facility in China. The plant, in China Medical City (CMC), Taizhou, Jiangsu province, represents the company’s “largest-ever investment in a single manufacturing facility globally”. It will produce both intravenous and oral solid medicines and construction of the site is scheduled to be […]
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California Gov Signs Controversial Vaccine Law
Following months of controversy, California Governor Jerry Brown late last week signed into law a bill that removes parental consent for vaccinating children 12 and older against sexually transmitted diseases. Although state law already allows children 12 and older to consent to treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental involvement, the new law expands that […]
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A Melnyk Comeback? A Little Shpritz, A Lot Of Sex
Who’s a hockey puck? Eugene Melnyk, whose tenure as chairman of Biovail was marked by turmoil and controversy, seems determined to make a comeback. And as the largest shareholder in Trimel Pharmaceuticals, he may yet find a way. The nascent drugmaker says its successfully completed a test for an experimental sexual dysfunction medicine delivered in […]
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How To Delay Generics? Draw A Line On A Pill
Here is a novel way to thwart generic competition. Simply add a so-called score, or line, across a tablet and the FDA may force generic rivals to rework their own versions, which amounts to a delay in approval. Meanwhile, the cash register at the brand-name drugmaker offices will keep ringing. That’s what Warner Chilcott hopes […]
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Drugmakers Lose Another Hepatitis C Trial
For the second time in a year and a half, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Baxter Healthcare have a lost a trial in which a jury determined they contributed to a 2008 hepatitis outbreak in Nevada due to the way the Propofol medication was marketed. Another defendant was McKesson, the big distributor. The jury awarded three people […]
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FDA Approves Cialis to Treat Enlarged Prostate
Cialis has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of enlarged prostate. It may also be used to treat men who have both enlarged prostate and erectile dysfunction (ED) at the same time. Cialis is the first ED drug to be approved for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Commonly known as enlarged prostate, symptoms […]
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Congress Probes Distributors Over Drug Shortages
Secondary drug distributors are now the focus of a congressional probe in the worsening prescription drug shortage. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has given five distributors two weeks to respond to questions after hospitals have complained that they have received offers of hard-to-find meds at huge mark-ups. […]
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Drugmaker Floods FDA With Patient Death Reports
Two years ago, the FDA inspected Actelion Pharmaceuticals offices and found the drugmaker failed to follow proper procedures for reporting adverse events and, as a result, about 3,500 patient deaths were never filed with the agency. A follow-up warning letter was issued and, in response, Actelion went to the other extreme – every adverse event […]
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AstraZeneca To Cut 400 Jobs In The US
And still more jobs are being shed. With patent expirations looming for some of its biggest sellers, AstraZeneca is shrinking its US commercial business and will eliminate about 400 jobs at its Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters. Most of the cuts, therefore, will come from various administrative and support departments, as well as an unspecified number of […]
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FDA Issues Warning for Drug Alleged to Cause Elon Student’s Death
The FDA has issued a warning for a birth control drug alleged to have caused an Elon student’s death just over a year ago. Michelle A. Pfleger, a first-year student from Hackettstown, N.J., died Sept. 24, 2010, after collapsing while on her way to class. The Alamance County Medical Examiner determined Pfleger died of a […]
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