Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend was refreshing and restful, because now that intense cycle of meetings and deadlines has returned. You knew this would happen. So this calls for a cup or two of stimulation. We are trying something different today - honey ginseng tea. A change of pace can be a good thing, though, yes? So feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to help you along. Hope the day goes well and do stay in touch...
Simcere Receives Buyout Offer From Founder (Associated Press)
Overseas Tax Savings For US Drugmakers Under Threat (Bloomberg News)
Serious Side Effects Seen With Failed Merck Drug (Reuters)
Pfizer Halts Development Of Hepatitis C Drug (Dow Jones)
Baxter Plans Layoffs In Puerto Rico (Caribbean Business)
When A Drug Costs 30 Times What It Once Did (Los Angeles Times)
New Roche Anti-Inflammatory Causes Stir At ACC (Pharma Times)
Sanofi Probed Over Patient Responses To Plavix (Dow Jones0
Former Novartis Chairman Vasella Is Moving To The US (Reuters)
UK Coalition Wants Rx Charges Ended For Long-Term Conditions (Pharma Times)
Biogen Told To Return ALS Samples From Former Partner (Bloomberg News)
Actavis To Close Research Unit In Malta (Times of Malta)
Three Nigerian Firms Accused Of Importing Fakes (Joy News)
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please check this post for additional items during the day
kettle pic thx to mirahartford on flickr
8 Comments
1) From the story itself - which Abbott has how much of the tax savings (legacy Abbott vs AbbVie)?
2) The impications for the Reuters story on Dr Vasella (ate of SUI) - if he is coming to try his fortune in the US, will his 'other fortune' follow - or remain in SUI?
"Just asking" ....
While this weekend's ACC full disclosure of all the unfortunate findings and observations from HPS2-THRIVE study of about 25,000 patients are disappointing, it should not result in any significant down-draft in Merck's NYSE price on Monday.
Almost all of this information was known (or highly-suspected) prior to this weekend (at least in terms of its likely small financial impact on Merck), and the Abbott niacin combo pill (called Niaspan®) had long ago suffered somewhat similar set-backs.
To be clear, I do not mean to seem callous to the plight of these arguably affected non-US patients, but one might look upon this episode as proof that the FDA here in the United States usually "gets it right". See, the FDA never approved Tredaptive -- quite rightly, it turns out, asking for more data of safety and effectiveness -- from April of 2008 on. At the same time, I don't fault the EMEA, either -- it simply moved forward, in July of 2008, to allow yet another treatment option to be placed in the hands of Europe's very capable treating physicians. Now that that all the blinded data are out, it was also wise that Merck voluntarily withdrew Tredaptive, globally, back in early January of 2013.
MOre at the above link -- great stuff, Ed!
Namaste
This rap popped into my head :-))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO_bKdRqkuQ
http://articles.latimes.com/images/pixel.gif which is loaded from that site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=cIqH11Fa3e0&hl=en&gl=IL
Thanks for pointing out the broken link. I believe I've fixed it now.
Regards ed
Condor, you can always count on my brothers-in-arms to do the right thing.
OII