US and EU regulators close in on pharmaceutical pay-for-delay deals

The evolving relationship between branded and generics pharmaceutical companies is set to undergo considerable change as regulators in both the US and EU move to restrict 'pay-for-delay' deals in a bid to increase generics cost-savings. As deals that delay the market entry of generics come under increasing scrutiny, the industry may find that its best option is to cease such practices altogether.

Minimising Risks
Drug Discovery Best Practises for Chief Scientific Officers

Cannes, France, December 8, 2009

Interview with: Malcolm Weir, Founder & CEO, Heptares Therapeutics

Malcolm Weir, a speaker at the marcus evans Discovery Summit 2010 addresses some of the challenges facing drug discovery Chief Scientific Officers across Europe.

Statistics seem almost stacked against developing a fitting drug for a target disease. Drug discovery is plagued by time consuming and costly processes, with extremely high failure rates. Improving some of the underlying processes strangling and stalling the drug discovery process has thus become a top priority for the industry. A speaker at the marcus evans Discovery Summit 2010 taking place in France, 22-24 March, Malcolm Weir, Founder and CEO of Heptares Therapeutics, shares his thoughts on the solutions to some of the issues troubling drug discovery scientists, the latest trends and building alliances.

Sanofi-Aventis: CNS franchise takes a knock

Sanofi-Aventis has withdrawn its US and EU applications for its insomnia candidate, eplivanserin. Previously posited by Datamonitor to emerge as a key player in the insomnia market, the drug's discontinuation represents a blow to Sanofi-Aventis' diminishing late-stage CNS pipeline. The company's decision also casts doubt on the future of the serotonergic drug class in the treatment of insomnia.

Boston Scientific, DePuy, Hospira and Philips Healthcare meet to share best practice sales and marketing tips with the European medical device industry

London, 14 December 2009

Over 20 senior level speakers will gather at MDDexec's European Sales & Marketing Summit, 17-18 March 2010, London.

Representatives from leading corporates such as Boston Scientific, DePuy, Hospira and Philips Healthcare are set to gather in March to share best practice alongside more than fifteen fellow executives for two days of focused debate and networking at the European Sales and Marketing Summit, a two-day business conference organised by MDDexec on 17th and 18th March 2010, in London.

Genentech/Roche: UK's NICE remains negative over Avastin for colorectal cancer

NICE, the UK's cost effectiveness watchdog, has again rejected the use of Avastin in combination with chemotherapy for first-line colorectal cancer patients, arguing that the drug isn't a cost effective use of NHS resources. Limited access to Avastin in the NHS will allow Erbitux to further penetrate the first-line colorectal cancer market in the UK, for which it was approved earlier this year.

Big Pharma seeks to insulate itself from impact of patent cliff

The pharmaceutical industry is facing an impending patent cliff, when some of its biggest selling drugs will lose patent protection and become exposed to generic competition. While companies are seemingly investing as much into diversification as they are into R&D, a new Datamonitor report suggests that moving away from the core business of prescription drugs may not be the best strategy.

Pharma's fourth hurdle - market access

LONDON (November 04, 2009) - Getting regulatory agency approval for a new drug was once the end goal of pharmaceutical drug development, but in today's healthcare environment where governments increasingly determine price and the availability of drugs to patients through formulary designation, market access has become the "fourth hurdle" in successfully bringing a drug to market.

H1N1 influenza pandemic: public apathy threatens infection control

Following initial heightened fears, the public's attitude towards the H1N1 virus has changed, with many people now skeptical over the potential health threat. However, the virus is expected to continue to spread and stabilizing supply, along with educating the public about the medical and societal need for vaccination will be crucial for the success of H1N1 infection control.