Pharma Industry Archive

Clinical Data Inc. is developing an antidepressant, vilazodone, that will not kill your sex drive. The company believes that’s a key selling point because antidepressants frequently subject their users to bizarre sexual side effects such as loss of libido, “genital anesthesia” and “pleasureless orgasm.” CDI reported a phase III trial result showing the drug was...

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When Eli Lilly launched Zyprexa, its drug sales reps campaigned for doctors to prescribe the antipsychotic off-label to patients who appeared to be depressed because their clothes were “drab” or “disheveled,” according to a study in Social Science & Medicine. The study, by Glen Spielmans of Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., is a broad look at Zyprexa...

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In its recent move to invalidate gene patents, the ACLU focused its lawsuit on Myriad Genetics, the poster child for gene patent challenges thanks to its miserly control of two genes associated with breast cancer. Which begs the question: is the problem really the thousands of issued gene patents, or is it the way a select few holders of gene patents have conducted business? Opposition to gene...

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Just when Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter thought he was out of the woods on prasugrel/Effient – he got a unanimous approval vote from an FDA panel in February — comes a letter to the FDA from the guy who invented the drug that says it causes bleeding and cancer. BNET has previously noted that Lilly really, really needs to get this drug to market. Not only has the company not launched...

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A New Jersey federal judge has ruled that anonymous postings on Cafe Pharma can be used as evidence in a lawsuit over whether Schering-Plough knew the results of its Vytorin study would be negative and hid them for months in an attempt to mislead shareholders. The ruling gives potential new legal clout to pharma whistleblowers who want to remain anonymous. Cafe Pharma has played other roles in...

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Pfizer will launch a new cancer treatment for dogs. The oral drug, Palladia, will help fight mast cell tumors, often seen as skin lumps. This is a good news/bad news situation for dogs. First, older dogs often get fat lumps on their skin that are harmless. With Pfizer’s publicity for Palladia, many owners will drag their dog to the vet to see if those lumps are cancer or not. Dogs are...

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The news for Roche on Avastin gets worse: Forbes’ Matt Herper just published a lengthy piece which suggests, in layman’s terms, that the $4.8 billion cancer drug kinda doesn’t work very well. Here’s the nut: … on average, Avastin only increases patients’ life spans by a couple months. The big sales are partly a result of the high cost — up to $55,000...

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Can Amylin CEO Dan Bradbury survive now that he has lost his board chairman and lead director to nominees selected by insurgent investors Carl Icahn and Eastbourne Capital? It’s a legitimate question, especially when you add to the mix the fact that Amylin founder Howard Greene sides with the Axis of Icahn, which owns 21 percent of the company’s shares. Here’s what Greene told...

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As summer starts, the bloom seems to be off the rose for Gilead. Its positive Phase III results for heart drug darusentan boosted the stock in April to $48.37, but since then it’s fallen back to around $43. (That’s not entirely to do with darusentan, of course, as Teva launched a patent challenge to two of its HIV drugs.) BNET previously suggested that Gilead’s foray away from...

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Pfizer is selling two of its corporate jets for $65 million, according to CityFile. This is a popular move among drug companies — putting the private aircraft up for sale makes you look more frugal and less excessive in a recession. As you can see from this image of the inside of one of the jets — it’s a nice ride. There’s a difference between putting them up for sale...

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