Topic:
Patents
Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
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.
France slaps Sanofi with $53M fine for 'disparaging' Plavix generics
The drugmaker has been fined by the French Competition Authority for "disparaging" generic copies of its now-off-patent bloodthinner, Plavix.
South Africa follows India's lead with proposed drug-patent reforms
South Africa plans to revamp its intellectual-property laws to make it more difficult for pharma companies to win protection for new versions of older drugs. The move comes soon after India's top court backed strict requirements for drug patents.
Lundbeck launches alcohol dependence drug Selincro in heavy-drinking countries
After losing patent protection last year on the blockbuster antidepressant Lexapro, Danish drugmaker Lundbeck hopes to regain a least a bit of that vaporized revenue as it launches its anti-binge drinking drug Selincro in some European countries.
OxyContin patent expires Tuesday but FDA under pressure to stall generics
Purdue's original patent on the superpotent and often abused painkiller OyxContin expires tomorrow, and drugmakers are jockeying for a piece of its $2.8 billion market share. But the FDA is under increasing pressure to require generic drugmakers to make their formulations tamper-resistant.
Union sues Warner Chilcott, Watson and Lupin over alleged pay-for-delay deal
A union fund is suing Warner Chilcott, Watson Laboratories and Lupin, claiming that their Loestrin 24 Fe patent settlements amounted to unfair market-sharing deals that cost payers money. Warner's key patent on the formula was weak, the fund claims, and the generics makers only backed away because Warner paid them to.
Pfizer fails to block $142M Neurontin award, faces 2 more suits
Pfizer's potential liability on off-label Neurontin use just grew: A U.S. appeals court in Boston upheld a $142 million verdict in one lawsuit and reinstated two others that had been tossed out by lower courts--including a class action that could allow hundreds of health plans to pursue claims against the company
AZ's Pulmicort patent loss could cost $100M-plus
A U.S. court has ruled against AstraZeneca in a long-running patent fight over its asthma drug Pulmicort Respules. That means copycat drugmakers can launch their versions, competing with Teva Pharmaceutical's authorized generic.
Novartis sweats Glivec patent verdict in India
Easter promises to be a nail-biting weekend for Novartis. That's because a final verdict in the big Glivec patent case is due on Monday from India's Supreme Court. So, the Swiss drugmaker will finally win its patent for the cancer treatment--or not.
India sinks Bayer's hopes on Nexavar patent
It is a not-so-happy anniversary for Germany's Bayer AG. A year after the company became the first to have a drug targeted by India's compulsory licensing law, an appeals board has said there will be no going back on Nexavar.
