R&D/Clinical Trials

Did you know that the first clinical trial was carried out between 605 and 562 B.C.? According to HealthandAge.com, King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered his subjects to follow a strict diet of meat and wine for three years. It wasn't until four children in his court convinced him to allow them to switch to bread and water instead that an endpoint was reached. After ten days, those in the bread-and-water group appeared resplendent-better nourished than those who had followed the meat and wine regimen.

Mergers have cut the field of companies with real marketing and manufacturing muscle from 25 to five. The 2004 vaccine market will double by 2009.

All of the companies with inhaled-insulin drugs must perform two-year safety studies. Not because their drugs show troubling data, but because Exubera has caused slight, temporary decreases in lung function.

Genzyme has an impressive international record in regions with intact healthcare systems. but so far, algeria is one of very few countries where genzyme's drugs have gone from free to paid for. the company is basing a huge investment on faith.

Pharma has an enormous backlog of drugs that never made it out of clinical trials. At Gene Logic, these discontinued drugs spell opportunity. Not only are they the foundation of a new business unit at Gene Logic, such failed compounds may become the cornerstone of a new approach to R&D as the industry confronts its latest productivity crisis.

In Europe, seven of the top-10 injectible drugs are biologics. Generic versions could be priced 25 to 40 percent lower than prescriptions.