News Features Market Eye Opinion Europe NHS Focus Company Profiles Practical Guides Annual Review Awards PMLive.com: Login About Pharmaceutical Marketing Online Archive FREE Email Alerts Links PMLive.com Homepage About PMLive.com Apply for a free copy of our industry publications: Pharmaceutical Marketing Pharmaceutical Marketing Europe Communiqué The Directory of Advertising Agencies About Pharmaceutical Marketing Limited NHS told to restrict spending 13-Nov-2008 A report published by the Health Service Journal says that NHS organisations will have their spending restricted and funding cut Read more... UK leads raid on counterfeit medicines sold on the web 13-Nov-2008 The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) yesterday led an international operation in conjunction with Interpol Read more... Amylin Pharmaceuticals cuts 340 jobs 12-Nov-2008 San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company Amylin has announced that as part of a restructure it will slash its workforce by 25 per cent Read more... NHS merges Direct and Choices websites 12-Nov-2008 The NHS has placed all its healthcare information on one website with the merger of the NHS Direct and NHS Choices websites Read more... GSK to axe 620 jobs in Kent 11-Nov-2008 GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s second largest pharmaceutical company proposes to close its manufacturing site in Dartford, Kent with the loss of 620 jobs Read more... Sanofi Pasteur to launch paediatric vaccine in Japan 11-Nov-2008 Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, is the first international company to enter the Japanese paediatric vaccine market with its ActHIB Read more... AZ’s Crestor shown to cut heart attack risk 10-Nov-2008 A study of around 18,000 patients with normal cholesterol levels has shown that AstraZeneca’s statin Crestor significantly lowered the risk of cardiovascular events Read more... RPSGB calls for NHS to provide better access to medicines 10-Nov-2008 The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has called for improved access to effective medicines for NHS patients Read more... Teva reports record sales 06-Nov-2008 Generic pharmaceutical company Teva has reported record net sales of $2.8bn in the third quarter of 2008 Read more... GSK cuts 1,000 from US salesforce 05-Nov-2008 GSK is to cut around 1,000 US sales jobs by the end of 2008 Read more... Women take breast cancer risks 05-Nov-2008 Half of women prescribed tamoxifen do not finish the five-year course Read more... NHS top-up payments to be allowed 04-Nov-2008 The DH has announced that patients will not lose their entitlement to NHS services if they use their own funds to pay for treatment Read more... FDA to consider Avastin for brain cancer 03-Nov-2008 Leading biotech company Genentech has submitted an application to the US FDA for Avastin as a treatment for brain cancer Read more... Merck Sharp & Dohme creates 170 jobs in county Carlow 03-Nov-2008 International pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharpe & Dohme is to hire 170 full-time staff for its new vaccine facility in county Carlow, Ireland Read more... GSK to acquire Genelabs Technologies 30-Oct-2008 GlaxoSmithKline and Genelabs Technologies have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for GSK to acquire the US-based biotech company Genelabs for approximately $57m Read more... House of Lords says NICE must disclose Alzheimer’s model 30-Oct-2008 The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been told by the House of Lords that it cannot appeal against an earlier high court ruling Read more... FDA warns Bayer on two products 29-Oct-2008 The US Food and Drug Administration has sent a pair of warning letters to Bayer HealthCare taking issue with two of the company’s over-the-counter products Read more... Shire announces strong Q3 performance 29-Oct-2008 Speciality biopharmaceutical company Shire has experienced a 31 per cent increase in product sales and a total revenues rise to $779m during Q3 2008 Read more... ABPI says top-ups are unnecessary 28-Oct-2008 The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has said that lack of money in the NHS pot is not the reason for patients being denied new medicines Read more... Better Cancer Care for Scotland 28-Oct-2008 The Scottish government has unveiled an action plan designed to reduce the time taken to begin cancer treatment Read more... Lilly and ImClone face court proceedings 28-Oct-2008 Eli Lilly & Co and ImClone have refuted claims that the board of the US-based vaccines manufacturer breached fudiciary duties to investors Read more... Credit crunch hits R&D 27-Oct-2008 The global credit crunch could jeopardise the near-term development of innovative medicines by pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms, according to experts Read more... EMEA recommends suspension of Acomplia 27-Oct-2008 Sanofi-aventis has said it will comply with the EMEA recommendation to suspend marketing authorisation for its anti-obesity drug, Acomplia Read more... Pharmaceutical Marketing's Annual Industry Career Survey – open for entry 24-Oct-2008 Gain an insight into the world of your peers and a springboard for salary negotiations with this year's career survey   Read more... GSK Biologicals signs Alzheimer’s deal with AFFiRiS 23-Oct-2008 GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) vaccine division has acquired exclusive rights to develop and commercialise two Alzheimer’s vaccine candidates Read more... PPRS changes delayed 23-Oct-2008 The Department of Health has postponed the date on which pharmaceutical companies will be required to reduce the price of its non-exclusive medicines Read more... EU vows to cut fake pharmaceuticals 22-Oct-2008 New legislation from the EU aims to address the increase in the number of dangerous counterfeit drugs making their way across Europe Read more... Merck cut 7,200 jobs 22-Oct-2008 Merck has announced it will cut 7,200 posts worldwide by the end of 2011 and close three research sites by 2009 Read more... Roche and Pfizer report growth 21-Oct-2008 Swiss-based Roche has reported a 10 per cent growth in sales to CHF33.2bn for year ended September 30, 2008 Read more... Sanofi-aventis expands R&D in China 21-Oct-2008 Sanofi-aventis has announced the establishment of a biometrics centre in Beijing as part of the expansion of its R&D facilities in China Read more... New company aims to accelerate drug discovery process 20-Oct-2008 Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and UCB have announced the formation of an innovative technology company, Cyclofluidic Read more... Novartis cuts 550 sales jobs 20-Oct-2008 Swiss company Novartis has announced that 550 posts in its US salesforce will be lost as part of a restructure Read more... FDA website on DTC under investigation 16-Oct-2008 The US House Committee on Energy and Commerce has opened an investigation into a new website launched by the US Food and Drug Administration Read more... GSK acquires BMS business in Egypt 16-Oct-2008 In a move to expand its presence in emerging markets, GlaxoSmithKline will buy Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Egyptian mature products business for £125m Read more... Patients want personal engagement – survey 16-Oct-2008 The key findings to come out of a 5,000-patient, five-country study into the ways people engage with healthcare brands... Read more... Slippery slope 16-Oct-2008 With the UK economy now officially in recession, politicians and business leaders are concerned that the country could slide into a depression not seen since the 1930s Read more... NHS getting better, findings suggest 15-Oct-2008 The number of NHS Trusts rated as ‘good to excellent’ by the Healthcare Commission (HC) has more than doubled compared with last year Read more... Rawlins criticises traditional methods of assessing evidence 15-Oct-2008 In this year's Harveian Oration, delivered before the Fellows of The Royal College of Physicians of London on Thursday October 16 2008 Read more... Biosimilar MAbs to soar 14-Oct-2008 The rapid uptake of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies in oncology will drive robust sales of drugs in this class Read more... Lilly claims ImClone 14-Oct-2008 Alaska Acquisition, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly &Co, has made an offer of $70 net per share for all outstanding shares of ImClone Systems Read more... AZ says doctors key to concordance 13-Oct-2008 Patients are most likely to avoid taking medicines as prescribed due to a perceived lack of need for a particular drug Read more... Credit crunch 13-Oct-2008 Companies that provide confidential support and guidance are less likely to feel the pressure of personal debt stress Read more... Gaining access 13-Oct-2008 How can pharma open doors to the challenging, but lucrative public hospital market? Read more... GMS contract held to account 09-Oct-2008 The first three years of the General Medical Services contract, implemented in April 2004, cost the UK’s Department of Health £1.8bn more than expected Read more... WPP offer for TNS accepted 09-Oct-2008 Following WPP’s refusal to raise its hostile £1.1bn bid for TNS, WPP announced on October 8, 2008, valid acceptances of the offer had been received Read more... Job losses at Genmab 08-Oct-2008 Danish pharma company Genmab has announced that it will be reducing its workforce by 100 across its international locations Read more... PCT chief urges NHS change 08-Oct-2008 Speaking at the Wellards/TNS one day healthcare conference - Looking ahead to 2009/10 - earlier this month Read more... Eli LIlly announce ImClone merger 07-Oct-2008 Eli Lilly today announced a merger with ImClone Systems through an all cash tender offer of $70 a share – amounting to about $6.5bn Read more... Phase II results show promise for prostate cancer vaccine 07-Oct-2008 Based on results from the phase II prospective randomised placebo-controlled study of 125 patients with advanced prostate cancer Read more... Norgine resigns from ABPI 06-Oct-2008 European specialty pharma company, Norgine, has resigned from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Read more... Treat Yourself 06-Oct-2008 Pharmaceutical Marketing’s Industry Career Survey 2008 - now closed Read more... Bidding battle for ImClone? 02-Oct-2008 Eli Lilly & Co has emerged, in speculation only at this time, as a bidder for ImClone Read more... Gloom hits defensive sectors 02-Oct-2008 Financial fears are casting a cloud over pharma stocks as prices go into freefall Read more... GSK hit by $40m Paxil penalty 02-Oct-2008 GlaxoSmithKline will pay $40m on the instruction of a US court to reimburse insurance companies Read more... Charities not in the pocket of pharma 01-Oct-2008 Patient groups and healthcare charities whose existence and good work relies on donations from individuals and organisations have denied that they are in any way obliged to fight the pharmaceutical industry’s corner Read more... NHS failing mentally ill children 01-Oct-2008 NHS Trusts in England still have a lot of ground to cover if they are to reach the targets set by government for the treatment of mentally ill children Read more... Pfizer cuts back on R&D 01-Oct-2008 Pfizer is significantly revamping its R&D pipeline, getting rid of development programmes in a number of areas in order to focus on others Read more... R&D jobs to go at GSK 01-Oct-2008 GlaxoSmithKline is planning to axe 850 R&D jobs in the UK and the US to boost productivity and efficiency Read more... ADHD warning letters 30-Sep-2008 The US Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters objecting to marketing tactics for Shire’s Adderall XR and Lilly’s Strattera Read more... Pfizer presents updated pipeline 30-Sep-2008 Pfizer has announced a growth of drugs in late-stage development in its latest pipeline update Read more... Report criticises pharma prices 30-Sep-2008 AARP has issued a new report criticizing the pharma industry for a sharp rise in prices on the 144 specialty drugs most commonly used by people enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit Read more...