Pharma Roundup: Biotech Market Share Top 5, King and Alpharma, and More

Respectable biotech market share for J&J, Novo, Lilly — It is no surprise that Amgen and Roche/Genentech dominate the biotech market, each with a 21% share. Also doing well, however, are Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk (each with 8%), and Lilly (5%), which lead the secondary pack. [Source: FierceBiotech]

King extends (another) offer for Alpharma — Alpharma has rejected two previous offers from its potential buyer. The companies shared records last week, though, and Alpharma has suggested it’s now willing to negotiate over the current $1.6 billion offer. [Source: Wall Street Journal]

Strong Q3 at Johnson & Johnson, but not for drug division — J&J beat analyst expectations for overall earnings, but its pharmaceutical division did not perform as well; prescription drug sales would have been down 2.5% if not for favorable exchange rates. Like others in the sector, lost patent protection (for pain patch Duragesic and schizophrenia treatment Risperdal) hurt the bottom line. [Source: Forbes]

Anti-counterfeiting bill includes pharma protection — The president has signed a bill into law which strengthens intellectual property law in the United States, a move which should protect against pirated and counterfeited pharmaceuticals. [Source: FiercePharma]