20.04.2012
European regulators have endorsed the continued use of Novartis's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya, one of the Swiss firm's top new drug hopes, but said on Friday the drug needed to carry stronger warnings on heart risks.
Novartis said the decision meant the drug remained on-track to be a "blockbuster" - one with annual sales above $1 billion.
more02.04.2012
In a nondescript suburb south of London, tucked away behind a big hospital, Paul Workman and fellow scientists are celebrating victory in the "World Cup" of cancer drug research for their work in discovering a stream of new medicines.
But the win is bitter-sweet. One of the new drugs behind the coveted prize from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has been deemed too costly to use in state-run British hospitals like the one next door.
It is a stark example of the pricing crisis now facing cancer medicines across the globe.
more12.03.2012
Bayer is sounding out its debt financing options with banks to prepare for takeover opportunities such as one that may arise from Pfizer's mooted exit from veterinary medicine, people familiar with the matter said.
Germany's largest drugmaker is encouraged by increasingly favorable market conditions for corporate bond issuers but is not eyeing a specific takeover deal, the sources said.
more22.12.2011
Three of Europe's biggest drugmakers - AstraZeneca, Novartis and Sanofi - reported product setbacks, underlining the difficulties of developing new medicines to make up for those going off patent.
more03.11.2011
Viiv Healthcare, a GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer joint venture, will start manufacturing HIV medicines in Russia in partnership with local drugmaker Binnopharm. Agreeing a local partnership is a way for international drug companies to secure guaranteed sales in Russia, which wants to reduce dependence on imported drugs. Global drugmakers have pledged at least $1 billion in investments in Russian manufacturing, packaging and research and development.
more31.10.2011
Swiss drugs industry supplier Lonza is set to grow underlying sales and operating profit this year despite the strong Swiss franc as it benefits from robust demand from pharmaceutical groups, particularly at a plant in China.
more13.09.2011
Novartis Tuesday said it now expects the integration of Alcon as an eye care segment to create annual cost synergies of $350 million by 2013. In January 2010, on acquiring a 77% majority stake in Alcon from Nestle, Novartis had estimated generating annual pre-tax cost synergies of approximately $200 million "within three years".
more19.07.2011
Novartis reported second-quarter net income of $2.73 billion or $1.13 per share versus $2.44 billion or $1.06 per share in the year-ago quarter.
Core net income for the quarter increased to $3.56 billion or $1.48 per share from $2 77 billion or $1.20 per share in the previous year.
Quarterly sales climbed to $14.92 billion from $11.72 billion in the prior year.
more11.07.2011
German drugmaker Bayer has lost European patent protection for birth control pill Yasmin, its second-best selling drug, dealing a serious hit to its revenue prospects.
Bayer said on Friday after the market close that the European Patent Office has revoked the patent following an appeal from rival Hexal against an earlier decision in 2006 that confirmed the patent.
more19.05.2011
Bidders emerged for allergy-testing company Phadia and diagnostic test-maker Gen-Probe, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Laboratory equipment company Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading contender for privately owned Phadia, and is involved in the auction for Gen-Probe, the newspaper reported in its online edition.
Phadia could fetch as much as $3 billion in a sale, while Gen-Probe has a market capitalization of $3.8 billion.
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