Shire eyes takeover protection as bid rumors swirl, Mail says
Shire ($SHPG) is a perennial entry on everybody's favorite M&A target list. Now, according to the Daily Mail, Shire is putting its ducks in a row for a potential "special dividend" to counter any takeover interest. Word is, an £11 billion hostile bid is coming.
Ex-HGS director draws fire for plugging anthrax drug at Pentagon
According to a Los Angeles Times investigation, former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig talked up HGS' anthrax drug raxibacumab to his government contacts--at a time when he also served on the company's board.
Women want Apotex to pay for unwanted pregnancies
Forty-five women who had turned to Apotex for contraceptives to avoid having children are now looking to the Canadian drugmaker to help them pay for their babies, or their abortions, after they ended up pregnant.
GlaxoSmithKline, Ranbaxy among hardest hit in Indian price cuts
New price controls are on their way in India, and brokerage house HSBC has identified which companies are most likely to suffer from the cuts. Meanwhile, regulators are once again looking at new hurdles to foreign investment, inspired by another round of pharma dealmaking.
JVs like Pfizer, Hisun hookup provide Chinese companies shot at Western markets
Joint ventures with Chinese companies have been seen as a way for Big Pharma to get better traction in the exploding China market. But it is not a one-way street. Chinese companies see the tie-ups as a way to build their own capabilities and begin to tap lucrative Western markets.
Actavis nabs Warner Chilcott in a $8.5B stock swap
Actavis and Warner Chilcott have struck a deal. And it's bigger than the $5 billion-or-so that was bandied about while the companies negotiated. About $3 billion bigger, in fact: According to Actavis, the company will acquire Warner in a stock swap worth $8.5 billion.
20 Highest-Paid Biopharma CEOs of 2012
Call it a rite of spring. Every year about this time, FiercePharma takes a look at executive compensation in the industry, and we rank the highest-paid CEOs. If you're a regular reader, you'll notice that this year's list is longer than previous editions. And there's a reason for that: curiosity. Check out the report >>
Australian judge kills Merck Vioxx class action settlement
A federal judge in Australia has put the kibosh on a half-million-dollar settlement over ill effects of Merck's ($MRK) painkiller Vioxx, a drug that has spawned billions of dollars in litigation.
Sanofi, France remain at odds over fate of 600 R&D jobs
Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher has reviled the company's research site in Toulouse, France as unproductive and overly costly. But try as he may, he can't seem to rid himself and the company of the center and its 612 researchers, a move Viehbacher initially advocated as part of 2,500 job reduction plan in the mother country.
India sets controversial price caps on 650 drugs
India has started the countdown on new price controls for a vastly expanded list of drugs, a move that is expected to cut deeply into the profits of drugmakers for hundreds of drugs.
Mined doctor-patient data gives drugmakers insight for targeted marketing
The recent layoffs of hundreds of drug sales reps mean there are fewer people in the field calling on doctors to see what they are prescribing. But they don't have to--drugmakers have found new tools that actually can tell them more about doctors' prescribing patterns than the physicians even know themselves.
EMA says Bayer's Diane-35 has more benefit than risk
France drug regulator in January yanked Bayer's contraceptive Diane-35 off the market and insisted the European Medicines Agency investigate its off-label use as an acne treatment and its risks of blood clots. The EMA has done that and has come down in support of the drug, even for the off-label use.
GSK tries novel approach in emerging markets: price cuts
GlaxoSmithKline CFO Simon Dingemans has found one of the mainstays of retail works just fine for drugs, particularly in emerging markets where GSK wants to build its foothold. You just put them on sale.
Novo CEO scolds European officials for 'empty promises' on new drugs
If austerity-minded governments aren't willing to pay for new drugs, then his company may have to choose not to launch new products there, choosing on a country-by-country basis where to do so.
Who's who in Big Pharma offers appetizing look at ASCO data
With the big American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting coming up in two weeks, anticipation about the coming onslaught of data is mounting. Last night, ASCO released some key abstracts for studies to be presented at the meeting, offering an aperitif to oncology-drug followers. Here is a sampling of news, some from our sister publicationFierceBiotech.
WSJ: Novartis said to eye $16B offer for Actavis
Actavis has suddenly become the belle of the ball. The Wall Street Journal reports that Novartis is now entertaining a $16 billion bid for the generics maker after a $13 billion offer from Valeant and a $15 billion bid from Mylan both fell flat.
Top 10 Cardio Drugs 2012
Last year, the top 10 cardio drugs racked up sales of $28.644 billion, down 23% from the $37.271 billion they sold in 2011. Still, the group has made a lot of money for its companies for years and, in some cases, completely changed the treatment of heart disease. It is an interesting list. Only Merck has two drugs in the top 10. Read the report >>
Novartis properly warned of Zometa's risks, jury decides
Novartis prevailed in the latest court battle over jawbone injuries in Zometa patients. The company did properly warn patients about the drug's risks, a New Jersey jury determined after a 13-day trial.
Colitis nod puts J&J's Simponi one step closer to blockbuster
Johnson & Johnson's new-generation rheumatoid arthritis drug now has a new approval in ulcerative colitis. Simponi, which J&J developed as a follow-up to its top-selling autoimmune therapy Remicade, could leap to blockbuster status with the help of this new indication, analysts say.
Bayer's radiotherapy Xofigo wins FDA nod in prostate cancer
The FDA has hit the green light for Xofigo--initially called Alpharadin or radium-223 chloride--for castration-resistant prostate cancer.
