Pharma Marketletter articles from June 2004

Pharma Marketletter archives from June 2004

New taxes proposed for French pharmaceutical industry.(Philippe Douste-Blazy )
June 7, 2004... French Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy is reportedly preparing to tax the pharmaceutical industry to help bail out the country's tottering health care budget. Sources close to the Ministry of Health have indicated that current proposals...

EU biogenerics market ready to take off.(European Union)
June 7, 2004... A new European Union directive will enable a new drug sector, that of biogeneric medicinal products, to be fully commercialized. Suzette Cox, who is responsible for scientific and regulatory issues at the European Generics Association, has...

Hungary's drug price freeze unlawful, says Constitutional Court.
June 7, 2004... The Constitutional Court in Hungary has annulled the 15% price cut on pharmaceuticals imposed by the country's government from April 1 (Marketletters passim). The Court has ruled that the six-month price freeze was anti-constitutional and...

Baxter gets FDA warning on ADVATE promotion.(Baxter Healthcare)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... US firm Baxter Healthcare says that it has received a warning letter from the Advertising and Promotional Labeling Branch of the Food and Drug Administration regarding certain promotional materials used to support the launch of ADVATE...

Orion Pharma eyes UK market environment.(HealthGain Solutions)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Finnish health care company Orion Pharma has appointed a contract field force from HealthGain Solutions to provide environmental analysis in the UK for its core therapy areas. In the UK, Orion primarily focuses on central nervous system and...

Axis-Shield enters new homocysteine marketing deal.(Beckman Coulter Inc. contract)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Axis-Shield of the UK says that, following the settlement of its homocysteine patent dispute with Catch Inc of Bothell, Washington, USA, last month, the latter has concluded a marketing arrangement with Beckman Coulter. Under the terms of this...

IMPAX gains FDA clearance for generic Proamatine.(Impax Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... USA-based IMPAX Laboratories says that the US Food and Drug Administration has granted final marketing approval to the company's Abbreviated New Drug Application for a generic version of UK drugmaker Shire Pharmaceuticals' Proamatine (midodrine...

Conj linoleic acid supp reduces body fat mass.(conjugated linoleic acid supplement)
June 7, 2004... Findings from a study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that the dietary supplement conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat mass in overweight, but otherwise healthy, adults by as much as 9%....

Prebiotics in formula milk benefit infants.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Preliminary results from two ongoing studies suggest that the levels of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the gut of babies fed on formula milk can be significantly reduced by the addition of prebiotic oligosaccharides, similar to those that...

Citrus fruit peels may help lower cholesterol.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... New research has shown that compounds called polymethoxylated flavones, isolated from orange and tangerine peels, have the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs and without side effects. The study,...

Resveratrol inhibits nuclear factor-kappa B.(cancer cells)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Scientists from the University of Virginia, USA, have demonstrated that resveratrol, a natural antioxidant found in red wine, can help to kill cancer cells through inhibiting a protein called nuclear factor-kappa B. The latter is found in the...

US health system CEOs, PBMs defend Medicare cards against "misinformation".(Mark Merritt)
June 7, 2004... Recent media reports on the new US Medicare-sponsored prescription drug discount card program, beginning June 1, contain misinformation and are politically-motivated, according to several private-sector health care groups. Nothing can stop...

Insurer sues Abbott over Norvir price hike.(Abbott Laboratories)(Aetna Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The controversy over the decision last December by Abbott Laboratories to raise the wholesale price of its HIV/AIDS drug Norvir (ritonavir) by about 400% (Marketletters passim) has taken a new turn with legal action by insurer Aetna. A law...

S Africa ARV plan hit by shortages, high prices.(antiretroviral drugs)
June 7, 2004... Implementation of the South African government's Comprehensive Plan for Care, Management and Treatment of HIV and AIDS is underway in all provinces but, because the tender process for antiretroviral drugs is complex and lengthy, interim...

Global Fund threatens S Africa over funding.
June 7, 2004... South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has hit back at Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria director Richard Feacham, who has threatened to withdraw nearly 1 billion rand ($153.2 million) of donor money from her...

WHO ARV plan for Ghana.(Aids-Related Virus)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The World Health Organization has said that it aims to have about half of Ghana's HIV/AIDS patients on free antiretroviral drugs by the end of 2005, raising the numbers being treated from about 1,000 at present to 29,000.

July meeting to focus on cheap drugs.(International Conference on AIDS)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The International AIDS Conference, to be held July 11-15 in Thailand, will include an emphasis on antiretroviral drugs and improving intellectual property laws to help in the production of ARVs and distribution to countries that have problems,...

Uganda pledge to 60,000 patients.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... 60,000 people in Uganda with HIV/AIDS will receive free antiretroviral drugs from next year, Health Minister Mike Mukula has announced.

Mozambique free drug program hit.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Staff and equipment shortages are stopping the roll-out of Mozambique's free antiretroviral drug program, the government has said. It is in talks with countries including Brazil to build plants for the production of generic ARVs.

Japan's Takeda exceeds initial sales forecasts in fiscal year to March.(Takeda Chemical Industries Ltd.)
June 7, 2004... Japanese drug major Takeda has reported strong earnings for the fiscal year to end March 2004, significantly exceeding its initial forecast and the profits preview on April 21 by the Nikkei, on robust growth of core products in Japan and...

Abbott's sibutramine reduces obesity-associated cardiovascular risks.(Abbott Laboratories)
June 7, 2004... Results presented at the 13th European Congress on Obesity, held in Prague, Czech Republic, demonstrated a positive relationship of weight loss with Abbott Laboratories' sibutramine (Reductil/Meridia) to improvements in obesity-associated...

Indevus' Sanctura cleared by FDA.(Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Indevus Pharmaceuticals' Sanctura (trospium chloride tablets) for the treatment of overactive bladder with symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, urgency and urinary frequency. ...

Shire's Agrylin gets extra market exclusivity.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... UK-based Shire Pharmaceuticals says the US Food and Drug Administration's Pediatric Board has awarded an additional six months exclusivity for its Agrylin (angrelide HCl), a treatment for essential thrombocythemia. The extension provides US...

Fujisawa's Protopic improves quality of life.
June 7, 2004... At the spring meeting of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology in Budapest, Hungary, new data were presented which show that Fujisawa's Protopic (tacrolimus ointment) significantly improves the quality of life of patients...

Xenical effective in overweight teenagers.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Roche's Xenical (orlistat) is significantly more effective than lifestyle changes alone in managing weight in overweight adolescents, according to new data reported at the 13th European Congress on Obesity held in Prague, Czech Republic. ...

Positive new data for Merck & Co's Cozaar.(treatment for hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Findings published in the Journal of Human Hypertension suggest that treatment with Merck & Co's Cozaar (losartan) could prevent almost 17,500 people with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy in the UK and more than 125,000 individuals...

Sankyo's full-year revenues rise 4.6%.(financial results)
June 7, 2004... Japan's Sankyo has revised its original fiscal year to March 2005 forecast, following higher-than-expected results on exports of the cholesterol-lowerer Pravachol/Mevalotin (pravastatin) and strong growth for the antihypertensive...

Tanabe sees sales slide 4.7% for full-year.(financial results)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Japanese drugmaker Tanabe has posted a 4.7% drop in sales to 173 billion yen ($1.6 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2004, falling short of the year's 176 billion yen target. The drop in revenues for the year is mainly the result of...

Drug access delays: "a dereliction of duty to patients" and "Europe's shame," EFPIA hears.(European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations)
June 7, 2004... European pharmaceutical industry leaders gathering at end- May in Ireland, which currently holds the European Union Presidency, made little attempt to conceal their frustration at the lack of progress made at EU level on a number of major...

Yamanouchi deal with Pfizer restructured.(contracts)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Japan's Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical, which is due to merge with Fujisawa next April (Marketletters passim), says that it has reached a new agreement with world drug industry leader Pfizer in order to restructure the existing partnership between...

Bayer, Reckitt to bid for Roche OTC unit?(over-the-counter medicines)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Speculation is growing that Germany's Bayer Healthcare and UK-headquartered Reckitt Benckiser, along with four private equity groups, are the main contenders to acquire Swiss pharmaceutical major Roche's over-the-counter medicines business...

Cost-effectiveness of COPD combination therapies.(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
June 7, 2004... A combination of inhaled steroids and a long-acting beta 2 agonist is a cost-effective way to preserve lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new data presented at the recent American Thoracic Society...

Burden of COPD exacerbations in Europe assessed.(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
June 7, 2004... Results of a study conducted among European general practitioners, chest physicians and a group of their patients, presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting in Orlando, Florida, reveals that doctors underestimate the physical and...

FDA's Crawford reluctant to OK OTC statins.(Food and Drug Administration)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... US Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford has said in an interview in Washington, reported by Lehman Brothers, that the agency is reluctant to consider prescription-free sales of cholesterol-lowering statins, following...

Tepnel completes price adjustment for Orchid.(acquisitions)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The board of UK-based Tepnel Life Sciences says that, following the revision of the completed accounts for the acquisition of the Orchid Diagnostics unit of Orchid BioSciences, now operating as Tepnel Lifecodes, a further adjustment of the...

Alliant acquires two new drugs.(Alliant Pharmaceuticals enetred marketing agreements with Mallinckrodt)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Alliant Pharmaceuticals, an emerging US pediatric specialty pharmaceutical company, says that it has bought the exclusive US marketing rights to two, unspecified, products for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from Mallinckrodt, a...

Eiffel Tech completes Level One ADR program.(American Depositary Receipt )
June 7, 2004... Australian drug re-engineering company Eiffel Technologies says that it has established a Level One American Depositary Receipt program. The Eiffel ADRs have been declared effective by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and The Bank...

German funds' surplus, pharmacies lose Rx sales.(finance)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Germany's public-sector health insurance funds have reported surpluses for the first time in 10 years. A Ministry of Health spokesman said they reported an overall surplus of some 1 billion euros ($1.22 billion) for first-quarter 2004, compared...

Meeting: EMEA's new Management Board.(European Medicines Evaluation Agency )(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Following the entry into force of parts of the new European Union pharmaceutical legislation last month, the new Management Board of the European Medicines Evaluation Agency has held its first meeting, at which it elected Hannes Wahlroos of...

ECoJ raps Sweden's retail Rx monopoly.(European Court of Justice)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... In a written opinion, Advocate General Philippe Leger of the European Court of Justice has said that Sweden's state monopoly on retail trade in medicines violates European Union rules on the free movement of goods and has advised that the...

ICA launches Victron in Vietnam.(ICA Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... ICA Pharmaceuticals in Vietnam's Binh Duong province has introduced a new drug, Victron (lamivudine), for the treatment of chronic and interstitial hepatitis B, according to the Vietnamese News Agency. The agent has been developed in...

Avigen discontinues Coagulin-B.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Avigen of the USA says it has decided to discontinue its Phase I trial of Coagulin-B, a gene-based therapy for hemophilia B. The company said in a statement that it was a strategic decision to "shift resources" into its central nervous product...

AstraZeneca's Zomig successfully marketed on-line.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Doctors.net.uk, the largest network of UK doctors, and business solutions provider Dendrite, say they have completed one of their most successful Internet sampling campaigns to market AstraZeneca's nasal spray Zomig (zolmitriptan), for the...

No policy change on biotech, says European Patent Office.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The decision by the European Patent Office, the OEB, to cancel patent number EP 699754 held by the US group Myriad Genetics does not mark a change in policy towards biotechnology, OEB officials have stated. The patent, which has been...

Families USA slams US seniors' Rx prices; PhRMA challenges earlier cost claims.(Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America )
June 7, 2004... Prices of the 30 brand-name drugs most frequently used by US seniors rose 4.3 times the rate of inflation in 2003, claims the annual pricing survey conducted by Families USA. On average, the cost of these drugs rose 6.5% from January 2003 to...

US consumers do not use generics for major ills, but would take them if advertised.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... 79% of US consumers would use generics to treat minor conditions such as colds or flu and 76% would use them for heartburn, but only 56% would do so for asthma, 52% for diabetes and 47% for heart disease, according to a poll conducted for...

300 GlaxoSmithKline employees named in illegal incentives probe in Italy.
June 7, 2004... In one of the biggest-ever probes of a pharmaceutical company's marketing practices, around 4,400 medical professionals and 300 employees of drug multinational GlaxoSmithKline have been named by Italian police as taking part in an illegal...

SSP to sell Rx business.(SS Pharmaceuticals)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... SS Pharmaceuticals, which is 57.3%-owned by German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim, is to sell its prescription drug business to fellow Japanese firm Hisamitsu for an undisclosed amount, in order to concentrate on its over-the-counter medicines...

Tokyo pharma stocks - week to May 31.
June 7, 2004... Tokyo witnessed an extended gain in the week ended May 31, but the magnitude of the rise was much smaller than in the previous week due to profit-taking toward the end of the reporting period. The Nikkei 225 went up 1.2%, to close at the 11,200...

Novozymes development in safer dust mite allergy vaccine.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Denmark's Novozymes, a leader in enzymes and microorganisms, has overcome a major barrier in its program to develop a new house dust mite allergy vaccine. The technology developed for this vaccine could be of benefit to people suffering from...

French regulator sets Sanofi offer for Aventis expiry date.(Sanofi Synthelabo)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... On June 1, 2004, the Autorite des marches financiers, the French stock market regulator, announced that it had set June 30 as the expiration date of Sanofi-Synthelabo's revised offer for the ordinary shares of Aventis (Marketletters passim)....

Genmab in HuMax-CD4 deal with DSM.(DSM Biologics)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Denmark's Genmab A/S says it has signed an agreement with Netherlands-based DSM Biologics to produce a commercial supply of HuMax-CD4, the former's potential treatment for T cell lymphoma. DSM will manufacture c-GMP batches of HuMax-CD4 for...

Prana's $20M offering OKed by shareholders.(Prana Biotechnology Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Melbourne, Australia-based Prana Biotechnology says that its shareholders have approved the issuing of securities worth $20 million to institutional and professional investors, led by New York-based global health care fund managers OrbiMed...

Lilly ICOS' Cialis gaining US ED market share.(oral erectile dysfunction treatment)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... After only six months, Cialis (tadalafil), the latest oral erectile dysfunction treatment on the market in the USA, is challenging Pfizer's Viagra (sildenafil) for share of the ED market, Cialis, which was leading in new treatment initiations...

Iconix in chemogenomics deal with AstraZeneca.(contracts between Iconix Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Iconix Pharmaceuticals says that AstraZeneca has selected it to provide advanced chemogenomic profiling and analytical services for a specific cancer drug discovery program, using Iconix' reference database and predictive biomarkers. Under...

Glatiramer for MS may provide no benefit.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... A recent study carried out by the Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis Review Group has concluded that glatiramer acetate (Teva's Copaxone), one of the most widely-prescribed treatments for MS, may provide no significant benefit in slowing disease...

Vertex to get $21M from new CFFT accord.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Vertex Pharmaceuticals is to receive approximately $21 million in contracted research payments under an extended drug discovery and development agreement with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics. Terms of the new deal state that CFFT...

Galderma rolls out Metvix in Australia.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... French prescription dermatologicals maker Galderma has initiated the launch of Metvix (aminolaevulinic acid) in Australia. Its introduction is to be followed by training of dermatologists to aid commercial success, the firm said. The...

SciClone and Nektar form alliance.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... USA-based firms SciClone Pharmaceuticals and Nektar Therapeutics have entered an agreement to develop pegylated Zadaxin (thymasalfasin), under which the latter will apply its PEGylation technology to the immune system-enhancing drug with the...

Cipralex demonstrates superiority in trials.(H. Lundbeck A/S)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Danish drugmaker Lundbeck's Cipralex (escitalopram) demonstrates a superior antidepressant effect, tolerability and speed of effect, according to a review of randomized clinical trials published in Psychopharmacology. Analysis of trials...

Anadys selects ANA975 for hepatitis C.(Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The USA's Anadys Pharmaceuticals has selected ANA975, an oral prodrug of isatoribine (ANA245; Marketletter March 10, 2003), as its development candidate for the front-line treatment of hepatitis C. The decision was based on results of Phase...

Banaja enters deal with PharmaWorld.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Banaja International, a leading health care products distributor, has formed an alliance with Belhoul, Dubai-based PharmaWorld to jointly establish PharmaWorld FZ LLC, reports business intelligence resource body AME Info. The move...

Xi'an Janssen claims it will always be No 1.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... According to the China Daily newspaper, China's largest pharmaceutical joint venture Xi'an-Janssen is confident that it will always be at the top of the list of domestic pharmaceutical companies in terms of sales volume, R&D and human...

Dr Reddy's sees full-year sales climb 11%.(Dr Reddy's Laboratories)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories has posted revenues for the full year ending March 31 of 20 billion rupees ($442 million), marking solid 11% growth from the 18 billion rupees recorded for the prior year. Regionally, sales from overseas...

Letter from the Editor.(European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries' Associations' meetings)(Editorial)
June 7, 2004... Optimism glimmered at the end-May meetings of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, held in Dublin, Ireland, that the lack of momentum which has long bedevilled pharmaceutical industry-related developments at...

GSK denies allegations in New York Paxil lawsuit claiming repeated fraud.(Glaxo SmithKline PLC)(Eliot Spitzer)
June 7, 2004... New York, USA, State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has filed a lawsuit against UK drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline alleging that, since 1998, the firm has engaged in repeated fraud by withholding negative information and purposefully misrepresenting...

Parexel revises earnings guidance in time for discussion at investor day.(PAREXEL International Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... USA-based contract research organization Parexel International has revised its earnings guidances for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 ending June 30, for the full year, calendar 2004 and fiscal 2005. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004,...

Western firms eyeing up Japan for M&As?(mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... A report by the Nikkei Weekly has suggested that western companies are looking to Japan for potential mergers. According to Kunio Takeda, Takeda Chemical Industries' chairman, three pharmaceutical firms will be on the list of merger and...

Hep C patients benefit from shorter course of Schering-Plough's PegIntron.(Schering-Plough Ltd.)
June 7, 2004... Patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3 were treated effectively with only 24 weeks of combination therapy with Schering-Plough's PegIntron (peginterferon alfa-2b) and Rebetol (ribavirin), according to findings published in the June...

Allos' RSR13 back on track for US approval.(Allos Therapeutics Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Colorado USA-based firm Allos Therapeutics says it has received an approvable letter from the US Food and Drug Administration regarding its New Drug Application for use of RSR13 (efaproxiral) as an adjunct to whole brain radiation therapy for...

Pozen's MT 100 "not approvable".(Antimigraine agents)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a not-approvable letter to Pozen concerning its New Drug Application for use of MT 100 (metoclopramide hydrochloride plus naproxen sodium) as an oral first-line therapy for migraine. The...

Board of directors named for Sanofi-Aventis.(Jean-Marc Bruel, Jurgen Dormann, Jean-Rene Fourtou, Serge Kampf, Igor Landau, Hubert Markl, Klaus Pohle and Hermann Scholl)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Under the terms of Aventis' acceptance of Sanofi-Synthelabo's takeover offer, the latter has agreed to eight Aventis members joining the board of directors of the combined Sanofi-Aventis. These are Jean-Marc Bruel, Jurgen Dormann, Jean-Rene...

Jubilant Organosys buys two Belgian firms.(Pharmaceutical Services Inc and PSI Supply)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Jubilant Organosys, an Indian custom research and manufacturing services and maker of active pharmaceutical ingredients, has acquired an 80% stake in Belgian firms Pharmaceutical Services Inc and PSI Supply in a 13.5 million euros ($16.5...

GlaxoSmithKline elects former Vodafone chief Gent as chairman.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... As previously rumored (Marketletter May 24) Sir Christopher Gent, former chief executive of Vodafone, has been elected deputy chairman of GlaxoSmithKline, effective June 1, and will become chairman from January 1, 2005, on the retirement of...

Recordati gives in to IVAX in fight for Polfa Kutno.(acquisitions and contract)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Italian drugmaker Recordati has apparently abandoned its bid for Poland's Polfa Kutno (Marketletters passim), having sold its nearly 25% holding in the latter to fellow contender for the firm, IVAX Corp. IVAX says it has acquired a wholly-owned...

Wyeth and S-P sued in price-fixing.(Schering-Plough Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Compass Marketing of the USA has filed a federal anti-trust price-fixing law suit against drug majors Wyeth and Schering-Plough, saying it "looks forward to its day in court to display the evidence and facts regarding the price-fixing...

Dyax and Genzyme in antibody deal.(licensing agreement)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Dyax Corp says it has granted a non-exclusive license to its proprietary antibody phage display libraries to fellow US firm Genzyme for the discovery of human antibodies. This will initially be for use in research, but with options for...

Ardana's Striant SR available in the UK.(Ardana Bioscience)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Ardana Bioscience has launched Striant SR, a testosterone replacement therapy for men with primary or secondary hypogonadism, in the UK. The Edinburgh, Scotland-based firm acquired the European marketing rights (excluding Italy) from US firm...

Miravant's SnET2 NDA gets FDA priority review.(Miravant Medical Technologies)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The US Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing Miravent Medical Technologies' New Drug Application for its SnET2, and granted it a priority review designation. The product is indicated for the treatment of patients with wet...

Neuro3d's ND1251 enters Phase I.(orally-active phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Neuro3d of France has initiated Phase I trials for ND1251, an orally-active phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor in development for the treatment of depression. In preclinical studies, ND1251 also demonstrated memory-enhancing and anti-inflammatory...

Genentech and Alkermes end sales of Nutropin Depot.(sales discontinuation)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Genentech and Alkermes are to discontinue commercialization of Nutropin Depot (somatropin [rDNA origin] for injectable suspension). The decision was based on the significant resources required by both firms to continue making and selling the...

Sumitomo licenses Merckle's licofelone.(Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Germany's Merckle has signed an agreement with Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals of Japan, under which the latter has acquired an exclusive license to develop and market licofelone (ML 3000) in the Japanese market for the treatment of osteoarthritis....

SkyePharma enters alliance with Vectura.(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... UK-based SkyePharma has entered into an alliance with the USA's Vectura in the area of pulmonary delivery technologies. Under the deal, SkyePharma will acquire rights to use Vectura's Aspirair dry powder inhaler device for certain...

Promotions at Schering-Plough.(Schering-Plough and Thomas Kelly promoted)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... US drug major Schering-Plough has promoted Douglas Ginerella to vice president and corporate controller and Thomas Kelly to the newly-created position of VP, corporate business development.