Patricia Van Arnum

Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to sell its global diabetes business that was part of its collaboration with AstraZeneca for $2.7 billion with potential regulatory- and sales-based milestone payments of up to $1.4 billion and will make royalty payments based on net sales through 2025.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will invest £200 million ($327 million) to expand its manufacturing facilities in Ware, Hertfordshire and Worthing, Sussex in the United Kingdom and establish a new manufacturing innovation facility.

The pharma majors are targeting biologics and emerging markets in their manufacturing expansion activities and plans. Patricia Van Arnum reports.

FDA has issued a Warning Letter to Novartis for cGMP violations at its manufacturing facility for finished pharmaceuticals in Unterach, Austria. The site became part of Sandoz and Novartis through the acquisition of EBEWE Pharma in 2009.

Drug shortages, particularly those for sterile injectable drugs, took center stage last year. In response, industry and the federal government, including FDA, took steps to address the problem.

Last week Human Genome Sciences (HGS) rejected GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) unsolicited $2.59 billion bid for HGS or $13 per share.