Pharmaceutical Executive-09-01-2002

Pharmaceutical Executive

Congress Moves to Cut Pharma Costs

September 01, 2002

Washington Report

The Senate's failure to approve a Medicare pharmacy benefit in August was not a big surprise on Capitol Hill, but it was disappointing to policy makers on all sides. Instead, the legislators adopted measures designed to make pharmaceuticals more affordable for all consumers.

Pharmaceutical Innovation Under Attack

September 01, 2002

World News

Instead of developing innovative therapies, pharma companies devote most of their resources to modifying existing medications, according to a report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM).

More Statins = Fewer Heart Attacks

September 01, 2002

World News

Many more high-risk patients could benefit from statin therapy than currently receive the cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to a major UK study set up by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation.

Consumer Activists Demand Mandatory Medication Innovation

September 01, 2002

World News

Patient advocates recently surprised pharmacists and manufacturers by convincing an FDA advisory panel to recommend increased government scrutiny of its voluntary patient information policy. FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee met in July to review the status of a private sector initiative for distributing medication information to patients obtaining prescriptions in pharmacies.

When Worlds Collide

September 01, 2002

Executive Profile

Pharmaceutical companies and their marketing partners face a common dilemma: how to translate scientific progress into market success. Despite huge investments, R&D never seems to produce an adequate number of products with blockbuster potential.

Top European Trial Sponsors

September 01, 2002

World News

A CenterWatch survey of 545 European clinical trial investigators named the best pharma companies to work with in clinical development.

Novo Nordisk Cancels Clinical Trials

September 01, 2002

World News

Shares in Danish company Novo Nordisk took a hit after it suspended trials for one of its main pipeline candidates, the dual-acting insulin sensitizer, ragaglitazar.

Dutch Government Just Says No

September 01, 2002

World News

Spurred by concerns about rising drug expenditures, the Netherlands' government has introduced a list of "lifestyle" medicines that it intends to stop covering with its basic health insurance.

Lilly Marketers Cross the Line

September 01, 2002

World News

In a new twist on "direct mail campaigns," marketers at Eli Lilly have taken DTC to an unprecedented level. The company is currently under investigation by the Florida attorney general for allegedly mailing Prozac Weekly (fluoxetine) to a woman who did not have, or request, a prescription for the product.

Spending Hits a Wall

September 01, 2002

Features

Pharma companies invested a hefty $12 billion in promoting to physicians and consumers in 2001, according to Scott-Levin. But after the highs of 2000, spending in 2001 seemed stunted-a growth rate of 9 versus 13 percent.

Strangers in the Shadows

September 01, 2002

Sixteen years ago I began to edit Pharmaceutical Executive, a magazine unknown to me only a few months before. Today, I wonder how much I've learned in all the time since.

Plants and Patents

September 01, 2002

World News

The number of pharmaceuticals derived from nature is staggering. Many medicine cabinet staples were first isolated from natural sources-penicillin from mold, quinine from the cinchona tree, digitalis (foxglove) for heart ailments, and the list goes on.

Industry Audit & Companies of the Year

September 01, 2002

Features

The Enron/Arthur Andersen debacle has been a painful warning that there is more to analyzing corporate performance than the smoke and mirrors that often pass for accounting and financial scrutiny. Indicators such as brand value, new product revenue, presence and percentage of business conducted in the US market, and sales growth provide more reliable criteria for companies' short and long-term prospects.

Aventis Streamlines R&D

September 01, 2002

World News

Aventis announced plans to cut R&D costs by spinning out a stake in one of its research units. The private equity house Warburg Pincus will invest 60 million euro in ProSkelia, taking a 58 percent share.