[1]pic thx to faruk aites on flickr creative commons
Hello, folks, and how are you today? Cloudy skies are, once again, hovering over the Pharmalot campus, but our spirits remain as sunny as ever. As you may recall, the Morning Mayor taught us long ago that every brand new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift. Speaking of new beginnings, next week we will migrate to Stat [2], our new home. So please adjust your reading and searching habits accordingly. Now, though, it is time to get cracking. Have a successful day and do drop us a line when you hear something fascinating…
When Perrigo shareholders cast their votes on Mylan’s $26 billion takeover proposal by Friday’s deadline, it will mark the biggest hostile bid ever settled at the ballot box, The Wall Street Journal [3] tells us. Typically, the warring parties reach agreement as shareholders’ will becomes clear. But on the eve of the deadline, the outcome remains too close to call.
A small cadre of employees at Valeant Pharmaceuticals were deeply involved in directing the daily operations of a specialty pharmacy that has drawn scrutiny for its billing practices, according to four former employees at the pharmacy and company documents reviewed by Reuters [4]. The Valeant employees worked with the founders of the pharmacy, Philidor Rx Services, to set up the business in 2013 and expand its operations.
A new vaccine developed by the University of New Mexico and the National Institutes of Health shows promise in lowering cholesterol and may be more effective than the statins millions of Americans currently take to keep their cholesterol levels in check, The Telegraph [5] writes. The vaccine has only been tested on mice and monkeys, but tests have shown it can reduce bad cholesterol by up to 55 per cent compared with the 30 per cent managed by statins.
Frustrated about the latest clinical trial results? A new computer game called Big Pharma lets you build your own pharmaceutical company from the ground up, Stat [6] writes. You start with a factory floor, some raw materials, and a wad of cash. You can use your funds to build equipment that turns the ingredients into drugs.
An experimental cholesterol drug developed by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and The Medicines Co. slashed levels of LDL cholesterol and remained effective for six months, according to Reuters [7], citing a small, early stage study.
A drug developed by Portola Pharmaceuticals to rapidly reverse the effect of new blood thinning agents in cases of major bleeding or other emergencies proved highly effective in a late stage study, Reuters [8] says.
More than 100 women who became pregnant after allegedly taking mispackaged birth control pills filed a lawsuit against Qualitest, a subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals, The Philadelphia Inquirer [9] reports.
The gap between antibiotic prescriptions in the least and most deprived areas of England is widening, with a substantial 20 percent difference between the bottom and top 1 percent, Pharma Times [10] writes, citing new research.
As Valeant Pharmaceuticals stock plunged in recent weeks, Sequoia Fund I went to great lengths to check on its multi-billion-dollar investment, including paying for information, The Wall Street Journal [11] says.
Pfizer has issued a recall of more than 20,000 bottles of Xanax after discovering the strength of the batch may be weaker than labeled, InPharma Technologist [12] reports.
A late-stage study showed that an Amgen biosimilar is clinically equivalent to AbbVie’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira, PMLive [13] tells us.
A Philadelphia judge issued an opinion that prevents nearly all of the 1,500 plaintiffs in Risperdal cases from seeking punitive damages, The Pennsylvania Record [14] writes.
Boston Scientific is buying a portfolio of drug-filled “microspheres” for cancer treatment from CeloNova Biosciences in a deal worth at least $70 million, The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal [15] says.