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Increasing QbD (Quality by Design) needs and a range of technical service centres have driven up the prices of Evonik’s drug delivery excipient portfolio,…Oral dose pharmaceutical excipients and polymers used for depot formulations and bioresorbable implants, are increasing in price…price changes are necessary to "maintain the high level of service and quality" of the excipients, The price hike affects…polymers used to encapsulate and control the release of small molecule APIs, peptides and proteins. Polymers falling under Evonik’s Resomer brand – used in medical implants and devices – will also be affected.

Rapidly rising drug prices have drawn the ire of the American public, who now want reform...reforming the…pharmaceutical industry could prove to be nearly impossible…attempting to change the prescription drug industry could force jobs to overseas markets where price restrictions are deemed less invasive…playing hardball with drugmakers…likely won't work in the U.S...Look what happened with the implementation of the medical device excise tax…Stryker laid off 5% of its workforce, and…Boston Scientific announced a major investment initiative in China around the time the 2.3% medical device excise tax was implemented…imagine what would happen to pharmaceutical jobs and even innovation if the government began curbing drug prices...

According to the most recent FDA Enforcement Report, Mutual Pharmaceutical, a division of Sun Pharmaceutical, is recalling 187,106 bottles of felodipine extended-release blood pressure tablets and 29,660 bottles of the antidepressant imipramine because the varnish is leaching benzophenone… during long-term stability testing, it found trace amounts of benzophenone in the drugs, which it said is unlikely to cause any adverse effects.

Kristen L. Marjama, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, clinical educator with Healthcare Clinic at Walgreens in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, discusses counseling points for different asthma medication classes (video)

There was a time when the success of a pharmaceutical sales representative depended on product knowledge, presentation, sales skills, reach and frequency, confidence and persistence. But that combination alone no longer yields the same results. It’s become increasingly difficult for reps to gain access to individual healthcare practices and institutions,…However, the "Death of a Pharma Salesman" paradigm is at odds with what many consider a new era in pharmaceutical sales—an entirely restructured professional reality…what’s happening now is not the death of an entire profession, but rather the decline of an outdated model.

The drug industry wants us to think Martin Shkreli is a rogue CEO. He isn’t.This week, a roiling controversy was ignited after Turing Pharmaceuticals chief executive … Shkreli hiked the price for his drug…by…4,000 percent…major pharmaceutical and biotech industry groups have portrayed Shkreli's actions as totally repugnant and the work of just one company, acting alone, with a flippant young chief executive who doesn't reflect the broader values, practices, or trends of other companies…But it's not,…Here's why:

1. Brand-name drugs are getting more expensive.
2. Even among generic drugs, a class of medicines that is saving us money, some prices are going through the roof.
3. When researchers calculate how much a drug is really worth, it's often a fraction of the list price.
4. This didn't happen overnight

..HIV activists have signed onto Janssen's ongoing "Wisdom" campaign, headlining a share-your-story campaign for people living with the disease. The Johnson & Johnson unit will award up to $20,000 in charitable donations as part of the effort, which ties in the company's latest HIV brand, Prezcobix (darunavir and cobicistat)… Guy Anthony, Maria Mejia and Josh Robbins--all well-known activists for HIV/AIDS awareness and education--will write, videotape and post their wisdom on www.shareyourwisdom.com, and serve as advisors as the "Your Story. Your HIV Wisdom." campaign progresses.

..Humira's dominance as the best-selling drug in the world expected to come to an end in the coming years, look for these drugs to potentially take its spot…Last year global pharmaceutical sales topped the $1 trillion mark for the first time ever. By 2018…predicts sales will rise by another 30% to $1.3 trillion. This is a major growth opportunity for investors, but only if they understand what blockbuster drugs are on their ascent, and which ones could be on the decline…I'd keep my eye on a handful of therapies to step up as the best-selling drugs in the world by 2020.

• Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir)
• Revlimid (lenalidomide)
• Aducanumab (investigational, BIIB037)

..pharmacy benefit management industry is experiencing subtle changes, and a leadership shuffle at the country's largest PBM has experts speculating about whether PBMs will remain stand-alone companies…More healthcare organizations view prescription drug use as a critical element of keeping patients healthy and reducing costs, and controlling a PBM could help with a population health strategy…"You could see a pathway forward where the PBMs become more integrated with the payers,"...

Munich Re to offer coverage for plants closed for regulatory issues…If a pharma plant closes because of an explosion or a natural disaster, well there is business interruption insurance for that. But if it closes to deal with issues after the FDA issues a Form 483 or a warning letter, then the drugmaker is on the hook for all of the costs. Now a couple of insurance companies say they will offer something to soften such blows…Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurer, says it will insure drugmakers against regulatory actions by the "FDA and its international counterparts" that could cause them to suspend manufacturing...