Dendreon: landmark cancer vaccine approval but high costs may hinder uptake

Having been approved by the FDA in castration-resistant prostate cancer, Dendreon's Provenge represents the first therapeutic cancer vaccine to reach the market. This is a significant step forward: the current standard of care is Taxotere-based chemotherapy, which is associated with significant toxicity. However, it remains to be seen how frequently Provenge is used.

EASL 2010: promising developments in the hepatitis C pipeline

The limitations of the current standard of care for hepatitis C virus infection have left significant room for the development of novel agents, and consequently the pipeline is highly active. Data from studies investigating the use of these agents in hepatitis C-infected patients were a key focus point at this year's European Association of the Study of the Liver meeting.

Second annual Pharmaceutical Risk-Sharing  & Value-based Pricing and Reimbursement Models

Bratislava, 15-16 th April 2010

Not being a specialist in the area of Risk-Sharing & Value-based Pricing this event was an excellent introduction for me. Meeting P&R experts from some of the most important pharma companies in the world as well as hearing their detailed presentations was a really good experience.

The event was splendidly organised by Next Level Pharma in Trend Hotel,Bratislava, SK, near the city centre, which was an excellent location. The overall impession was ruined only by a bad weather which did not allow a proper sightseeing of the city and disturbed air traffic which made problems to the return flight of most participants. 

GlaxoSmithKline: H1N1 hype unfounded as UK caps vaccine order

The UK government has capped its order of the H1N1 vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline. Following poor uptake of the vaccine in several European markets, the UK Department of Health has opted to limit its H1N1 contract with GlaxoSmithKline to 34.8 million doses. Despite the media hype surrounding the influenza outbreak, the mild course of the pandemic and negative public opinion of the vaccine means that its commercial impact will be significantly reduced.

Sales Vision Road Show Beograd - a great expirience

The first iPhone Pharma CRM application in the world was shown in Belgrade on Sales Vision Road Show, senior management event which gathered more than 50 delegates from pharma world of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sales Vision Road Show is going on in other cities across Europe like in London, Bratislava, Bucurest etc.

Big pharma struggles to benefit from increased CVD drug usage

London - Pharmaceutical companies will struggle to profit from the cardiovascular disease (CVD) market over the next decade despite growing drug usage, according to Datamonitor. New research* by the independent business analyst predicts that the CVD pharma market will grow from $99bn in 2008 to $107bn in 2018. Patent expiries and generic competition will have a major impact and Datamonitor expects AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk to emerge as the only major CVD pharma companies to generate positive sales growth over the period.

AstraZeneca deal lifts Rigel's arthritis drug out of development uncertainty

Having signed a license agreement with AstraZeneca, Rigel has boosted the prospects for R788, its RA drug. However, Phase III trials must address certain safety signals and reassure physicians of its efficacy in key patient populations. Prominent product differentiation will also be vital for the drug to compete with Pfizer's JAK inhibitor, which is set to reach the market two years ahead of it.

Lacerta BioCapital

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