ChronicleMIDWEEK
From the publishers of THE CHRONICLE OF CANCER THERAPY, THE CHRONICLE OF CARDIOVASCULAR & INTERNAL MEDICINE, THE CHRONICLE OF NEUROLOGY & PSYCHIATY, THE CHRONICLE OF SKIN & ALLERGY, THE CHRONICLE OF UROLOGY & SEXUAL MEDICINE, PHYSICIANS’ CHRONICLE, THE CHRONICLE OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING, LINACRE’S BOOKS, and chronicl*e group
WHO NEEDS EXUBERA? PFIZER BOSS RECOMMENDS DIET AND EXERCISE
FOLLOWING THE RECENT EXUBERA DEBACLE, wherein he lit a match to a $2.8 billion investment in the inhalable insulin Tx, Pfizer kingpin Jeffrey Kindler seems to have lost his capacity to understand irony. Speaking out at a Japanese management forum Monday (10/29), Kindler accused US health policy-makers of poor judgment and inefficiency. According to Bloomberg news service, he also urged stateside politicians to stress nutrition and behavior modification as a means of disease prevention. More info =>
HERE’S TWO FOR YOU, THREE FOR ME: ONE EXPLANATION FOR CANADA’S HIGH-PRICED GENERIC RXS
IT’S BEEN YEARS SINCE THE FRASER INSTITUTE blew the lid off the price-gouging practices of Canadian generic drugmakers, but Ottawa has done nothing to rein in the clonemeisters. Last week the Competition Bureau finally offered a few quiet squeaking noises on the subject, observing that 40 per cent of the selling price of generic Rxs finds its way into the coffers of retail pharmacies in the form of allowances or rebates. A consumer spokesman tells Canadian Press: “We’re very concerned that this has been a secret operation that hasn’t been made public before… This is a lot of money. We figure it has to be a billion dollars-plus per year and what is it being paid for? It’s creating an artificial price for generic drugs.” Calm down there, buster, and take your meds, says the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores. In a statement, the retail drugstore cabel says that payoffs “from generic manufacturers to community pharmacies are part of a normal and healthy competitive market dynamic.” Actually, they didn’t use the term payoffs, but what do pharmacists know about the use of appropriate descriptives, anyway? More info =>
BRADLEY PHARMACEUTICALS BOUGHT BY NYCOMED FOR $346 MILLION
FAST-GROWING NYCOMED, the Danish drugmaker that last year acquired Altana Pharma, this week expanded its dermatology presence with a $346 million purchase of Bradley Pharmaceuticals. Brad, which owns Doak Dermatologics, also owns Kenwood Therapeutics, a marketer of GI, OB-GYN, and IM Rxs. Nyco plans to move Doak’s branded dermatologicals into its PharmaDerm division. Nyco’s global helmer Hakan Bjorklund says he intends to make skincare products a priority. Says he: “The acquisition enables us to gain critical mass in the dermatology market and provides significant momentum for further add-on investments.” More info=>
ADLEA: THAT’S ONE SPICY PAIN-RELIEF MEDICINE
FINALLY, THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY has produced an analgesic that’s also a taco sauce. Anesiva, a California drugmaker, is investigating capsaicin, a derivative of the chili pepper, for use controlling pain in orthopedic surgery. Trial results of the product, which may be marketed under the Adlea brand, are encouraging, reports Associated Press. Researcher Dr. Eugene Viscusi says that unlike other analgesics, Anesiva is non-addictive. Says he: “You can’t abuse it. You can’t misuse it.” Tell that to the man who’s habit is up to a dozen chimichangas a day (see next item.) More info =>
TUBB 20- AND 30-SOMETHINGS ARE AN EXPANDING MARKET FOR CHOLESTEROL AND BP TXS
THE FATEST GROWING MARKET for anti-hypertensive and anti-lipemic Txs turns out not to be codgers or the middle-aged, but rather, the young-’uns. Data released this week by Medco, the stateside Rx benefits manager, says use of anti-lipemics by patients aged 20 to 44 increased by 68 per cent between 2001 and 2006, while use of anti-hypertensives by the same group rose 21 per cent during the same period. Explanation: increased awareness of CV issues by physicians, and more incidents of obesity among today’s chimichanga-scarfing young swingers. Medco’s medical director says of the data: “It was a surprise to us.” More info =>
ASTRAZENECA WANTS SEPARATE IDENTITY FOR BIOTECH DIVISION, RENAMES ITS CAT
YOU WON’T HAVE CAMBRIDGE ANTIBODY TECHNOLOGY to kick around any more. The UK biotechie, acquired last year by AstraZeneca, now wants to be known as MedImmune. Not co-incidentally, that’s also the name of the Maryland-based vaccine-maker acquired by AstraZeneca this summer, at a cost of $15.6 billion. Admittedly a mouthful, Cambridge Antibody Technology used to be known familiarly as “CAT,” which created confusion with a similarly named maker of backhoes. More info =>
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