Pharma Roundup: Cephalon Hikes Provigil Prices, Icahn Eyes Amylin, and More

Cephalon hikes Provigil prices  — The drug maker is playing a cunning game. Provigil loses patent protection in 2012, but a new formulation coming out next year, Nuvigil, will remain protected for years. As Provigil’s price skyrockets—it is already 74% higher than it was four years ago—Nuvigil will be released at a lower price point. Provigil users will switch over, and by the time a generic Provigil appears, everyone will be taking Nuvigil, or so Cephalon hopes. [Source: WSJ Health Blog]

Icahn eyes Amylin — The notorious Carl Icahn, activist investor extraordinaire, has upped his stake in troubled Amylin. At the end of September he held 11 million shares. [Source: CNBC]

$16 million fine for J&J subsidiaries — After an Illinois woman died while using the Duragesic patch in 2004, her family sued Johnson & Johnson units Janssen and ALZA, who marketed the patch. A judge has ordered the companies to pay $16,560,000. [Source: PharmaGossip]

All anti-depressants created equal — Despite the millions spent on marketing, an American College of Physicians review has found all major types of anti-depressant to be comparable in treating depression. [Source: Pharmalot]