Pharma Roundup: Pfizer and Glaxo Confirm Layoffs, Disclosure Mandated for Cephalon, and More

Pfizer and Glaxo confirm layoffs — The rumored cuts at Pfizer, though still unspecified in number, have been confirmed by the company. Pfizer is suspending R&D in several areas, most notably heart disease, its big profit-maker for decades. Meanwhile, GSK is cutting 850 R&D jobs (six percent of its workforce). [Source: In the Pipeline, PharmaGossip]

Cephalon ordered to disclose doctor payments — Forced transparency is the cherry on top of Cephalon’s big federal punishment sundae for off-label marketing, as the Department of Health and Human Services orders the drug company to prominently display a list of the doctors it employs as speakers or consultants. Cephalon is the first drug-maker to receive such a federal mandate, though the news comes in the wake of voluntary promises from Lilly and Merck, among others. [Source: WSJ Health Blog]

Prasugrel delays not dire for Lilly — Over at In Vivo, Kate Rawson speculates that the delays plaguing the approval process for Lilly’s prasugrel aren’t as bad as everyone thinks (Lilly’s stock dropped when the news was announced). Rawson points out that most recent drugs which have faced delays at this point in the process have eventually moved forward, and that the FDA probably needs extra time for the drug’s complicated application. [Source: In Vivo]

Docs dislike pharma sales reps — Or at least want to see less of them. According to a survey commissioned by Publicis Selling Solutions Group, 90 percent of doctors want to “see fewer reps in their practices.” They also want better-educated reps who can sell with science. [Source: Medical Marketing & Media]