Pharma Marketletter articles from December 2003

Pharma Marketletter archives from December 2003

Spain's Farmaindustria steps up attacks on antipsychotic, RA drug visas.(rheumatoid arthritis drug visas implemented by the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (Service Andalusian of Health))
December 1, 2003... Spain's biggest drugs federation, Farmaindustria, has expanded its criticism of the government of the Spanish autonomous region of Andalusia for introducing visas to curb the use of antipsychotic and rheumatoid arthritis drugs (Marketletters...

Easier drug certification procedures for Russia.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Russia's Ministry of Public Health has simplified the product certification procedures for pharmaceutical companies under an order that took effect last month, according to the Interfax news agency. As a result, drugmakers with a "good...

Norway's pharma imports rise 2.7%.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... According to Statistics Norway, the country imported pharmaceutical and medicinal products worth 6.32 billion Norwegian kroner ($905 million) during the first 10 months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 2.7%. No export figures were...

Germany's competition agency attacks alleged price-fixing by drug wholesalers.(investigations by the German Federal Cartel Office)
December 1, 2003... Officials from the German Federal Cartel Office, the BKA, have swept through the offices of leading drug wholesale companies throughout the country in a major investigation over alleged price fixing. The names of the companies have not been...

Minnesotans to get Canadian drug site.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Having visited Winnipeg in Canada to assure himself that prescription drugs there are safe, US state of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was satisfied this was the case and now plans to set up a web site for citizens listing Canadian mail-order...

Rep Henry Waxman says US Medicare reform bill falls short.
December 1, 2003... The Medicare reform bill now being debated in the US Congress (Marketletters passim) is a meaningful and crucial step for seniors, but it falls short and would undermine the integrity of Medicare, according to Representative Henry Waxman, who...

Kos Pharma prices offering at $44.25 a share.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... USA-based Kos Pharmaceutical is pricing its offering of 5 million of its common stock at $44.25 per share. As previously announced, 3.75 million shares in the offering were offered by Kos, and 1.25 million by a selling shareholder. In addition,...

NeoPharm signs distribution deal with Avanti.(Avanti Polar Lipids Inc. will market and promote the NeoPhectin line)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... NeoPharm has entered into the first distribution and marketing agreement for NeoPhectin and NeoPhectin-AT, the company's novel, cardiolipin-based transfection reagents, with fellow US firm Avanti Polar Lipids, which specializes in...

Biovail confirms US SEC inquiry.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Canada's Biovail Corp says that it has received a letter from the US Securities and Exchange Commission advising it that an informal inquiry pertaining to the company's "accounting and financial reporting practices for the fiscal year 2002 and...

Pfizer to expand staff at Nagoya R&D unit.
December 1, 2003... Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, has told the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun that it plans to further expand the staff at its R&D facility in Nagoya. This center is responsible for discovering new candidates for both...

More revamping at Pierre Fabre.(plant closure)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... France's Pierre Fabre is to shut down over-the-counter pharmaceutical product manufacturing at the Marseille site of its Veyron & Froment subsidiary. Production will be transferred to the Gien and Chateaurenard sites owned by the parent...

Indian firm Orchid to supply China market.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... India's Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals has begun supplying active pharmaceutical ingredients to its joint venture partner in China. The venture, called NCPC Orchid Pharmaceuticals, was established last year with North China Pharmaceutical...

Jordan's Dar Al Dawa in Novartis deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Jordanian pharmaceutical concern Dar Al Dawa, which reported sales of $40 million last year, has signed a collaborative agreement with Swiss drug major Novartis. Under the terms of the deal, DaD will market 11 Novartis products under...

Biovail chief hit with investor law suit.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The chief executive of Canadian drugmaker Biovail, Eugene Melnyk, is facing a class action suit from a group of shareholders. Mr Melnyk and other leading executives at the firm are accused of artificially boosting revenues in order to cash in...

Elan completes Pharma Marketing deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Irish drugmaker Elan says that it has completed the purchase of royalty rights relating to three products from Pharma Marketing for $99.6 million. As a result, no further royalty payments will be made to the latter firm relating to the pain...

Lupin promoters sell equity stake.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The promoters of Indian drugmaker Lupin, Desh Bandhu Gupta and associates, have sold almost 4% of the former's total equity to overseas institutional investors for 900 million rupees ($19.7 million). Lupin said in a statement that the...

Allos completes $12M placement.(Allos Therapeutics' shares of common stock)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Nasdaq-listed Allos Therapeutics says that it has completed a $12 million private placement of securities with several institutional investors. The company sold around 5.1 million shares of common stock at a negotiated price of $2.32 per share....

DepoMorphine filed for UK approval.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... UK-based drug delivery specialist SkyePharma has submitted an application to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for approval of its DepoMorphine, a sustained-release injectable formulation of morphine, as a treatment for...

Arixtra gets expanded label in EU.(marketing authorization of Arixtra by the European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to Sanofi-Synthelabo and Organon's (a subsidiary of Akzo Nobel) Arixtra (fondaparinux sodium) for an extended duration of prophylactic treatment of venous thromboembolic events in...

Boston Scientific's stent on track in USA.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration's Circulatory System Devices Panel has unanimously recommended the approval of Boston Scientific's Taxus Express2 paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent. The technology is designed to reduce coronary...

PPD and Syrrx enter diabetes collab.(Syrrx's human dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The USA's PPD and Syrrx have signed an agreement to jointly develop and commercialize the latter's human dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors for the potential treatment of type 2 diabetes, as well as for conditions such as obesity and other...

Lilly's Zyprexa cleared in UK for new use.(marketing authorization)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Drug major Eli-Lilly has obtained marketing authorization in the UK for use of its antipsychotic Zyprexa (olanzapine) in the prevention of recurrence of bipolar disorder for patients whose manic episode has responded to the drug. In...

CPMP gives OK to AstraZeneca's Faslodex.(European Commission's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The European Commission's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has issued a positive opinion for AstraZeneca's Faslodex (fulvestrant). The product is indicated for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in post-menopausal women whose...

Jerini's Icatibant gains Orphan Drug status.(phase II clinical trials in Europe )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Germany-based Jerini's icatibant (JE049) has been awarded Orphan Drug status by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of angioedema. The agent is a bradykinin BK2 receptor antagonist and was also granted Orphan Medicinal...

Benefits to pharma of a humanistic, real-world view of its products and customers.(Christopher Sutherland of the SMART Group, speaking at the annual health care industry conferenceconference )(Industry Overview)
December 1, 2003... Pharmaceutical companies need a new approach to understanding their customers and the market, according to Christopher Sutherland of the SMART Group, speaking at the annual health care industry conference sponsored by the New York Society of...

CeNeS strikes L3.7 million deal for TheraSci, beefs up pipeline on the cheap.(CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc acquires TheraSci Limited)
December 1, 2003... UK-based biotechnology concern CeNeS says that it has agreed to acquire privately-held TheraSci in a deal worth L3.7 million ($4.3 million). The latter firm brings to the table all rights to a GlaxoSmithKline development program intended to...

Swiss Genetics raises $10.8 million.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Swiss drugs and diagnostics discovery firm Genetics says that it has raised around 14 million Swiss francs ($10.7 million) from new and existing investors through a series B equity financing round. The privately-held firm, which is...

Unanimous FDA panel backing for Boston Sci's paclitaxel-coated stent.
December 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration's Circulatory System Devices Advisory Committee on November 20 voted unanimously that Boston Scientific's Taxus paclitaxel-coated stent should be approved. There was little debate over the stent's...

J&J/Cordis Boston stent injunction denied.(Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary Cordis patent infringement trial)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US District Court Judge Sue Robinson has denied a request from Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary Cordis for a preliminary injunction to prevent Boston Scientific from launching its Taxus paclitaxel-coated stent, which has just received the backing...

Australia's Peter MacCallum Inst sets up clinical trials operation.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Melbourne, Australia-based Peter MacCallum Institute has established Cell Therapies, a company separate from its public hospital component, to run trials on behalf of other firms, as well as joint research projects, and has signed...

Top UK execs slam "fat cat pay" in pharma sector.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Too many directors at public limited companies in the UK's pharmaceutical sector are reaping big rewards despite failing in their jobs, according to a new survey of top executives. Research by interim management specialist Executives Online...

Immtech buys facility in China.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Immtech International of the USA has completed the acquisition of a portion of a newly-constructed industrial facility located in the Futian Free-Trade Zone, a tax-free zone in the City of Shenzhen in China. The deal was funded through the...

Chiron launches ELITE trial.(EarLy Intervention TOBI Eradication; tobramycin solution for inhalation in the treatment of early onset Pseudomonas aeruginosa)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Chiron Corp of the USA has announced the initiation of the ELITE (EarLy Intervention TOBI Eradication) trial in Europe to further study the benefits of TOBI (tobramycin solution for inhalation in the treatment of early onset Pseudomonas...

Proteome Sciences collaborates with MRC on CJD and vCJD.(Medical Research Council)(Creutzfeld Jacob Disease)
December 1, 2003... UK-based Proteome Sciences has signed an agreement with the Medical Research Council to enter a collaboration to identify differential protein expression in Creutzfeld Jacob Disease and variant CJD patients. Using samples from age and...

B-MS allocates further $30M for African HIV/AIDS program.(Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.)
December 1, 2003... US drug major Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced the next phase of its Secure the Future initiative with the allocation of six new program grants totaling $30 million. These grants are part of the ongoing $115 million commitment made by B-MS...

Merck & Co halts development of MK-767.(phase III trials discontinuation)
December 1, 2003... US drug major Merck & Co has discontinued Phase III trials for MK-767, which was under evaluation as a potential treatment for diabetes. The agent was being developed in collaboration with Kyorin Pharmaceuticals. The program was stopped...

GSK's Augmentin appeal rejected.(GlaxoSmithKline's patent protection for Augmentin)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC, has rejected GlaxoSmithKline's attempt to maintain its patent protection for its antibiotic Augmentin (amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium). The company said the court...

Extending therapy with Genentech/Serono's Raptiva is effective for plaque psoriasis.(results of clinical trials)
December 1, 2003... Data published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveal that patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who extend treatment with Genentech/Serono's Raptiva (efalizumab) from 12 to 24 weeks, exhibited both maintenance and...

FDA clears Lilly ICOS' Cialis for ED.(US Food and Drug Administration approval of Lilly ICOS' Cialis for the treatment of erectile dysfunction)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Lilly ICOS' Cialis (tadalafil) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The decision was based on safety and efficacy data from 22 clinical trials involving more than 4,000...

South African government approves antiretroviral treatment for public sector.
December 1, 2003... The South African government has put aside approximately 12 billion rand ($1.82 billion) for HIV/AIDS over the next three years and finally approved the long-awaited national operation plan for the treatment and care of HIV/AIDS patients, which...

New WTO pharma cross-border trading web site.(World Trade Organization web site)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The World Trade Organization has set up a dedicated page on its web site to enable its member states to make known their use, or intention to use, its recent agreement allowing cheaper drugs to be traded more easily across borders under...

Medicare Rx benefit draws near, but not all recipients will fare the same: study.(US Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003)
December 1, 2003... The impact of the US Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 will be massive, with a drug benefit for seniors and disabled people, wealthier enrollees asked to pay more for Medicare cover, new Health Savings...

Pfizer launches ophthalmic unit.(Pfizer Ophthalmics)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Aiming to reinforce its commitment to preserving sight and preventing blindness in patients with ocular diseases, Pfizer has announced the launch of Pfizer Ophthalmics, a new business group that combines the products from recently-acquired...

Andrx buys Cardura XL rights from Pfizer for $35M.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... USA-based Andrx Corp says it has expanded its brand product portfolio by entering into a supply and distribution agreement with drug major Pfizer regarding its New Drug Application for Cardura XL, a sustained-release formulation of doxazosin...

BioTransplant goes ahead with liquidation.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... BioTransplant of the USA says its board of directors has approved the liquidation of the company's remaining assets, noting that the proceeds of liquidation will not likely be sufficient to provide any distribution to shareholders. On...

Ergo Science sells Ergoset assets to Pliva.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US firm Ergo Science has announced the sale of its interests in Ergoset (bromocriptine), used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, including intellectual property rights and other human drug -elated assets to Croatia-headquartered Pliva for...

Acambis profits soar on US CDC contract.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Leading UK vaccines manufacturer Acambis has reported a strong performance for the three-month period ended September 30, as the company continued to book significant payments relating to its lucrative smallpox vaccine contract with the US...

Eli Lilly set to buy Applied Molecular in $400 million merger deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US drug major Eli Lilly has reached an agreement to acquire California-headquartered Applied Molecular Evolution in a deal worth an estimated $400 million. Lilly said in a statement that it hopes the deal will "enhance its stature as a world...

Negative newsflow hits S-P's shares.(Schering-Plough)
December 1, 2003... Shares in ailing US drug major Schering-Plough closed down 1% at $16 in New York trading November 19 after the company suffered a double blow. First, it emerged that its Polish subsidiary was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange...

Advancis sees 3rd-qtr losses widen.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... USA-based Advancis Pharmaceuticals, which recently completed a $60 million initial public offering, has reported a sharp widening of losses for the third quarter of 2003, as the company continued to invest in product development in a bid to...

VI Technologies to restructure, job cuts.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US biotechnology concern VI Technologies says that it will cut its staff headcount by 50% in order to generate a significant reduction in ongoing operating expenses. The company, which specializes in developing products that improve the safety...

aaiPharma moves to Nasdaq Biotech index.
December 1, 2003... The USA's aaiPharma says that it has been added to the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. The company, which trades under the ticker code AAII, said the listing became effective November 24. aaiPharma chief executive Philip Tabbiner described the move...

Angiotech/Bard deal.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Canadian drugmaker Angiotech says that its agreement with CR Bard relating to the use of paclitaxel and other related compounds in the treatment of vascular surgery has been terminated by mutual consent. Angiotech says that it will now move the...

Mylan to launch J&J generic next July.(Mylan Laboratories Inc.)(Johnson and Johnson)
December 1, 2003... The USA's Mylan Laboratories says that it will launch a generic version of Johnson & Johnson's blockbuster transdermal chronic pain patch Duragesic (fentanyl) no later than the expiry date of J&J's patent on the product. The news follows...

Hybridon gets listing on AMEX bourse.
December 1, 2003... USA-based synthetic DNA drug discovery firm Hybridon says an application to list its common shares on the American Stock Exchange has been approved. The Massachusetts-headquartered company added that trading of its stock on the AMEX should...

Antigenics resumes trial for Oncophage.
December 1, 2003... USA-based Antigenics has revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration has lifted the suspension on the two Phase III clinical trials of the company's personalized cancer vaccine Oncophage (HSPPC-96). Antigenics has said that it will...

Erbitux filed for approval in Canada.(Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.)(Merck KGAA)
December 1, 2003... Originator ImClone Systems and North American marketing partner Bristol-Myers Squibb have filed a New Drug Submission for the use of Erbitux (cetuximab) in combination with irinotecan for the treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor...

Watson's Oxytrol on track for EU appro.(Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
December 1, 2003... The European Medicines Evaluation Agency's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has issued a positive opinion for Watson Pharmaceutical's Oxytrol (oxybutynin) as a treatment for overactive bladder. The transdermal patch was...

US Congress passes Medicare Rx benefit bill, amid unprecedented tactics.
December 1, 2003... Extraordinary tactics by both Republicans and Democrats, including an unprecedented roll-call vote in the House lasting nearly three hours during the early hours of November 22 and two attempted filibusters in the Senate, marked the approval of...

Illinois acts on Canadian import curbs.
December 1, 2003... Governor Rod Blagojevich of the US state of Illinois has told the committees of 12 state health programs to find, within 45 days, safe and effective alternatives to drugs on their preferred lists made by firms which are curbing their supplies...

Allergan submits NDA for oral tazarotene.(New Drug Application)
December 1, 2003... Allergan has submitted a New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration for an oral formulation of its tazarotene, a highly-selective retinoid, for the treatment of moderate-to-very-severe psoriasis. The filing contains data...

Novartis looking to expand Zelnorm label.
December 1, 2003... Novartis has filed a supplemental New Drug Application with the US Food and Drug Administration for use of its Zelnorm (tegaserod maleate) for the treatment of patients with chronic and persistent constipation and relief of associated symptoms....

Disappointing new data for Avastin.
December 1, 2003... Genentech and Roche have released findings from a Phase II trial investigating Avastin (bevacizumab) plus chemotherapy in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The primary endpoint of the study, improvement in median survival, was not...

NDA for InterMune's oritavancin delayed.
December 1, 2003... InterMune stock slumped on news that the company is delaying submission of its New Drug Application for approval of oritavancin after the US Food and Drug Administration asked for an additional clinical safety study. The company has now...

Orphan Drug status for Ester Neurosci drug.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Ester Neurosciences has revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration has awarded its Monarsen (formerly EN101) Orphan Drug status for the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Monarsen has demonstrated efficacy and a good safety profile in a...

Positive opinion for Genzyme's Cholestagel.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products has issued a positive opinion on Genzyme Corp's Marketing Authorization Application for Cholestagel (colesevelam hydrochloride). The agent is a non-absorbed, cholesterol-lowering...

Australian PBS fears as US trade talks near end.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... With the final round of negotiations on the US/Australian Free Trade Agreement set to get underway in Washington, USA, the week of December 1, it has been claimed that, without protection for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the trade deal...

US/Canadian accord on Internet pharmacy.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... As Canada and the USA signed a memorandum of understanding which includes closer working on the regulation of Canada's Internet pharmacy sector, senior health figures clashed over the safety of medicines imported into the USA. In Ottawa...

Vietnamese biotech industry development.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem is urging strategies to make Vietnam's biotechnology industry the most advanced in Southeast Asia, saying it has adopted effective technologies but lacks skilled experts, reports the Vietnamese News Agency....

Argentine pharma exports, health prices.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Argentina's pharmaceutical exports fell 14.3% to $125 million in first-half 2003 from first-half 2002, and imports dipped 1.7% to $212 million, says the National Statistics Institute. Also, the consumer price of health care in Argentina in...

Ambiguities of German pharma needs discussed by CD party rep Seehofer.
December 1, 2003... In response to questions raised by delegates at the Health 2004 Conference organized by the German financial daily Handelsblatt and Euroforum and held in Berlin on November 24, Horst Seehofer, who represented the opposition Christian Democratic...

Generics exempt from French drug ad tax.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The French National Assembly's decision to increase the taxation on pharmaceutical companies' product promotion and to demand an "exceptional contribution" from the firms based on their sales, in order to help cut the country's health budget...

PAGB call for public consultation.(Proprietary Association of Great Britain)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... With the recent news that the UK health authorities are considering allowing cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to be made available over-the-counter without a doctor's prescription (Marketletter November 24), the Proprietary Association of...

Tokyo pharma stocks - week to Nov 24.
December 1, 2003... Tokyo managed a slight gain in the week ended November 24 (four trading days because November 24 was a national holiday in Japan), following see-saw movements through the review period. The Nikkei 225 inched up 0.7% to close below the 10,000...

Promising results for Discovery's Surfaxin.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Positive Phase III efficacy results have been reported for Discovery Laboratories' lung surfactant product Surfaxin (lucinactant) from a trial examining its potential utility for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature...

NPS on track for US filing of Preos.(NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Shares in USA-based NPS Pharmaceuticals rose as the company reported promising preliminary findings from a two-year rat carcinogenicity study of its Preos, a full-length human parathyroid hormone drug candidate. The product is in development as...

Medarex to start Ph I/II trials for MDX-214.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Medarex says that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its Investigational New Drug application to initiate Phase I/II trials for MDX-214 in patients with cancers that overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor. The...

FDA clears Schering AG's Climara Pro.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Germany-based Schering AG's Climara Pro (estradiol/levonorgestrel transdermal system) in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. The product will be marketed by the company's US...

Tranzyme expands deal with NeoGenesis.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... US firms Tranzyme and NeoGenesis Pharmaceuticals have expanded their gene expression and drug discovery collaboration to include additional genes of therapeutic interest. The companies originally entered into the partnership in 2001...

Eon shares peak on GSK generic approval, reports strong third quarter.(Eon Pharmaceuticals)
December 1, 2003... Shares in US generics specialist Eon Pharmaceuticals leapt to an all-time high on November 26, following news that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its copy-cat version of GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster antidepressant Wellbutrin SR...

Polish pharmaceutical businesses to unite.(merger of Polfa Warszawa, Polfa Pabianice and Polfa Tarchomi will create new entity called Polska Holding Farmaceutyczny)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Three government-owned pharmaceutical concerns in Poland are to be consolidated into one, larger holding company under plans recently unveiled by the government. The new entity, to be called Polska Holding Farmaceutyczny, is set to be partially...

Antisoma seeks funds to boost pipeline.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... UK biotechnology firm Antisoma is set to raise L14 million ($23.1 million) through a share placement as it looks to beef up its already relatively-strong product pipeline. Chief executive Glynn Edwards said that the fundraising would lead to a...

Eli Lilly to reorganize after Gerhard Mayr's retirement.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... With the announced retirement of Gerhard Mayr, executive vice president, pharmaceutical operations, at Eli Lilly, due to take effect March 1, 2004, the company says it will consolidate his areas of responsibility into a new organization to be...

Switzerland's Serono to invest in Israeli plant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... The Swiss biotechnology firm Serono is to invest $200 million in a cytokine production plant at Ness Ziona in Israel. The plant will be operated by the group's local subsidiary, InterPharm. The unit will be constructed next to the Kiryat...