- HPV vaccine not linked to chronic pain or fainting: European regulators (pharmalot.com)Review concludes evidence does not support that HPV vaccines cause CRPS or POTS (ema.europa.eu)
...controversial HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine does not cause chronic pain or dizziness, despite reports from patients’ families complaining of those side effects, European regulators said…after an extensive review…European Medicine Agency began its review in July after families complained that girls who were vaccinated suffered complex regional pain syndrome…a chronic pain that affects limbs. Other families said the vaccines caused postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome…which causes dizziness and fainting…“The available evidence does not support a link” between the vaccines and the syndromes…“There is no reason to change the way the vaccines are used.”
- WHO ramps up HIV drug push with call for early treatment for all (reuters.com)
Everyone with HIV should be given anti-retroviral drugs as soon as possible after diagnosis, meaning 37 million people worldwide should be on treatment, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday…early drug use extends the lives of those with the AIDS-causing virus and cuts the risk of disease transmission to partners…making the new recommendation a reality would require dramatically increased financial support from donors and governments… WHO estimates…low- and lower-middle income countries will need $18.4 billion annually for the expanded HIV fight.
- GSK hep B supplies to Japan hit by Tianjin explosion (fiercepharmaasia.com)
GlaxoSmithKline faces constraints in supplying hepatitis B treatment Tenozet in Japan because of curbed operations at its China plant that makes the treatment after a massive chemical explosion that rocked country's Tianjin manufacturing hub in early August…said cleanup operations related to the..blast have blocked access to the plant where Tenozet is produced and the facility has remained idled since last month's explosion.
- GSK closes North Carolina plant after Legionnaires’ bacteria found (reuters.com)
GlaxoSmithKline closed its North Carolina factory on Tuesday after testing at a cooling tower found bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaire's disease…Legionella bacteria (Legionella pneumophila) was discovered during routine inspections at the site in Zebulon,…
- Genetics help explain poor showing for GSK malaria vaccine (reuters.com)
Scientists have found a genetic explanation for why the world's first malaria vaccine is not very effective in protecting some African children against the deadly mosquito-borne disease… The analysis…comes at a critical time for the experimental shot from GlaxoSmithKline, when global experts are assessing how it might be deployed…Mosquirix is specifically designed for use by African babies and toddlers. While it has the potential to help prevent many cases of malaria, researchers have been disappointed by its limited efficacy…scientists have discovered that genetic variability in a protein found on the surface of malaria parasites may help explain the patchy response because, while the protein comes in different forms, GSK's vaccine incorporates only one variant.
- Researchers said a popular antidepressant was safe for teens. It was actually deadly. (vox.com)Restoring Study 329: efficacy and harms of paroxetine and imipramine in treatment of major depression in adolescence (bmj.com)
For years,…GlaxoSmithKline was illegally persuading doctors to prescribe paroxetine (Paxil),…as an antidepressant for children and teenagers…citing…Study 329…research...claiming to show that Paxil is "well tolerated and effective" for kids…A…new analysis of the raw data behind Study 329, published in BMJ (British Medical Journal), suggests that the original conclusions were…wrong. Not only is Paxil ineffective, working no better than placebo, but it can actually cause serious side effects, including self-injury and suicide…New York State Attorney General…sued GSK,...pleaded guilty...paying out $3 billion in fines. Drug companies are pushing to market more drugs for off-label uses…
- Lilly, Sanofi, Novo among many pharma players to throw off big price gains in H1 (fiercepharma.com)
On the flip side, AstraZeneca, GSK and J&J stock prices contracted… The first half of the year has provided a good ride for Big Pharma and its investors with indices up in the U.S. and Europe. Even Japanese drugmakers avoided the side effects of China's stock market meltdown and saw values rise 23%. But, of course, averages come from the highs and the lows and some players have actually seen share price declines during this bull market.
- Global 2000: The Biggest Drug Companies Of 2015 (forbes.com)
- Johnson & Johnson
- Pfizer
- Novartis
- Merck & Co.
- Roche Holding
- Sanofi
- Bayer
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Amgen
- McKesson
- Gilead Sciences
- Teva Pharmaceuticals Inds.
- AstraZeneca
- Abbott Laboratories
- Eli Lilly & Co.
- Back To School Grades For 24 Pharma And Biotech Giants (forbes.com)
…it’s time to dole out some grades to drug companies. …I give each company a letter grade, just like the ones you got in school. An A+ requires changing the face of medicine and making a ton of money. An F means a drug safety crisis and a financial failure – or a severe ethical breach. Everything else is in-between. I do not believe in grade inflation.
Top of the Class
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ..... A-
- Valeant Pharmaceuticals ..... B+
- Gilead Sciences, Inc ..... B+
- Novo Nordisk ..... B
- Eli Lilly and Company ..... B
- Allergan plc ..... B
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated ..... B
- Illumina ..... B
- Novartis ..... B
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries ..... B-
- Sanofi ..... B-
- Celgene Corporation ..... B-
- Pfizer Inc. ..... B-
- Bristol-Myers Squibb ..... B-
- Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ..... B-
- Merck & Co., Inc. ..... B-
- Shire PLC Sponsored ADR ..... C+
- Roche Holding ..... C+
- Amgen Inc. ..... C+
- AbbVie, Inc. ..... C+
- Johnson & Johnson ..... C+
- GlaxoSmithKline ..... C
- Astrazeneca PLC Sponsored ADR ..... C
- Biogen Inc. ..... C
- Novartis buys remaining rights to GSK treatment for up to $1 billion (reuters.com)
Novartis has agreed to buy all remaining rights to ofatumumab (Arzerra) from Britain's GlaxoSmithKline for up to $1 billion, boosting the Swiss drugmaker's stable of multiple sclerosis treatments…. it is currently being developed for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis and other auto-immune conditions…