Political Intrigue at 3 Big Pharma Companies
The New York times reported today that Britain’s Serious Fraud Office has demanded documents from GlaxoSmithKline, Astra Zeneca and a British affiliate of Eli Lilly & Company in connections with allegations that the companies paid bribes to secure lucrative drug contracts in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power. The 3 companies are accused of violating the United Nations’ oil-for-food program that was instituted in post war Iraq in the 1990s. A report from the fraud office in 2005 accused some 2,200 companies from 40 countries of colluding with the Hussein regime to cheat the UN program out of about $1.8 billion. As I have stated time and time again, drug companies are no different than other companies–profits and stock prices always come before ethics, morality and sometimes the law!
Until next time….
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!
Over the past 30 years or so, the vast majority of chief executives in the drug business have made their way to the top via the sales and marketing departments. Few senior executives have toiled in a research laboratory or for that matter, know the difference between NMR and protein purification. However, things may be changing in the industry. A quick perusal of the CEOs of the top 20 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (see below) reveals that 11 of 20 have degrees in engineering (4), medicine (2) and science (5). The remaining 9 have degrees in business and finance (3), sales and marketing (4) or law (2). Several of the scientists (2), engineers (3) and one physician also earned MBA degrees.
t to discuss scientific considerations for safety testing for cellular therapy products derived from human embryonic stem cells. , the committee will meet to discuss updates on the following topics: (1) Research management related to the September 29, 2005, review of research programs of the Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; (2) 's Somatic Cell Therapy Letter; and (3) recently released FDA guidance documents." 
Once again I have to tip my hat to Ed Silverman over at 
"Quite simply, life-saving drugs are irrelevant if they are not affordable".jpg)
As the debate continues to rage in the US about how to regulate biogeneric drugs, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has given the .jpg)
On Tuesday, 
Just days after hiring its Chairman and former CEO Bob Essner as a highly paid consultant, Wyeth learned on Monday that that 
For those of you who are interested, I wrote an article about contract work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry that appeared in 
I am sure that most of you have heard by now that it takes about $1.0 billion to shepherd a new drug from discovery through commercialization. It is a nice round number but methinks that “something is rotten in pharma land”. The massive pharma layoffs in 2007 were justified because of nearing patent expiry, encroachment by generic manufacturers, over zealous FDA scrutiny and failing stock prices. To that end, how do you explain this little tidbit about Wyeth that my colleague Ed Silverman at Pharmalot reported on late last week? 
The New York Times reported today.jpg)
Several lawyers representing people who sued Merck over Vioxx
There is a storm brewing around 
A Johnson & Johnson Co. plant in Bedford MA that manufactures medical devices
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laxoSmithKline announced today 
ay by the Swiss drug maker Novartis. Daniel Vasella, Novartis’ CEO foreshowed the event in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal that was published only 2 days or so ago. Hmmmmmmmm……….how clever! 
The New York Times reported today that medical device maker Boston Scientific Corporation had agree to sell its fluid management and venous access businesses for $425 million to the private equity firm Avista-Capital Partners. 
Until yesterday, I had never been admitted to a hospital via emergency services. I ended up in a hospital \emergency room because earlier in the week I had this sharp pain in my lower right abdomen and it bothered me enough to seek professional help. After a visit to my doctor and a CAT scan at my local hospital, I was asked to walk my films around the corner to the emergency room where I would be met by a surgeon because I had a perforated appendix–my worst fears had come true. Now, here is where it got interesting from a medical and microbiological standpoint. 
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Ed Silverman at .jpg)
If you are contemplating a career move, check out the new list from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that projects the fastest-growing jobs from 2006 to 2016..jpg)
science education. 
Shares of Amgen had their steepest decline in seven months on Friday after the company reported that it may have to revise the safety information for its largest product Aranesp. Amgen shares fell $3.05 or 5.3 percent to $52.10 in regular trading.
Let me say from the outset that I have always been a big Merck fan (not withstanding the Vioxx scandal). Many people who I went to graduate school with in the late 1970s at the University Of Wisconsin Department of Bacteriology wound up getting jobs at Merck (more than 15 at last count). It goes without saying that there is a world of difference between Madison (“yeah, baby”) and Rahway NJ but, nevertheless, there has been a long standing relationship between UW and Merck dating back to the 1960s– I guess good science begets good science! That said, Merck showed the world with the Vioxx debacle that even one the best and most respected pharmaceutical companies is fallible and can make mistakes when it loses sight of what earned it its reputation in the first place–good science and better drugs. 
The Wall Street Journal Online published an .jpg)
The NY Times reported today.jpg)
According to posts by my colleague Ed Silverman over at .jpg)
Sinus infections are diagnosed in about 31 million Americans each year and are among the most common reasons for doctor visits. The infections affect the air spaces (sinuses) around the nose and in the lower forehead. Inflammation and excess mucous can cause nose congestion, headaches and eye and face pain. Causes include bacteria, viruses, fungal infections and allergies. .jpg)
Forget about the medicine….just take the honey. A study published in the .jpg)
All good things must come to an end. Yesterday, FDA regulatory reviewers suggested that .jpg)
The buzz and promise of biotechnology is the likely cause of the buying frenzy that big pharma has been on lately. Word on the street is that biotechnology products are innovative, have a higher return on investment (ROI) and are generally perceived to be “better” than conventional small molecule drugs. I agree that biotechnology products are certainly innovative and the gargantuan ROIs are titillating. But, are biotechnology products always safer and more efficacious than extant small molecule drugs? According to a recent study–maybe not! 