BMJ apologises for Prozac accusations
February 2, 2005Sales and Marketing
The BMJ has retracted its allegations that Eli Lilly suppressed important safety information on its antidepressant drug Prozac during litigation …
AstraZeneca remains strong despite setbacks
February 1, 2005Sales and Marketing
AstraZeneca has announced impressive full-year figures for 2004 despite its market value slumping by nearly a third in the past …
Merck hit by US patent blow
February 1, 2005Sales and Marketing
Merck has lost 10 years of US patent protection for the best-selling formulation of its second-biggest selling drug, following a …
Overdose deaths lead to co-proxamol withdrawal
February 1, 2005Sales and Marketing
Co-proxamol, a commonly prescribed painkiller, will be withdrawn from use in the UK because of continued deaths from overdose.The drug …
Changing the headlines
February 1, 2005Medical Communications
'You kill people, don't you?' someone said to me when I mentioned my job was in pharma market research. Statements …
NHS Trust – can pharma win it?
February 1, 2005Sometimes pharma companies could be forgiven for thinking they are in a catch-22 situation. On the one hand local NHS …
Open up to expert patients
January 28, 2005Medical Communications
The pharma industry has a crucial role to play in the successful roll-out of the Expert Patients Programme (EPP) and …
Humira tipped for blockbuster status in 2005
January 25, 2005Sales and Marketing
Abbott Laboratories has raised its sales expectations for rheumatoid arthritis treatment Humira and now expects the product's sales to reach …
Lipitor breaks $10 billion annual sales mark
January 21, 2005Sales and Marketing
Pfizer's blockbuster statin Lipitor scaled new sales heights in 2004, becoming the first pharma product to make more than $10 …
MHRA admits to shortcomings
January 21, 2005Sales and Marketing
The MHRA has admitted that it has "suffered from not being professional enough" as it endeavoured to restore its reputation …
UK industry seizes initiative to head off call for new laws
January 21, 2005The UK pharmaceutical industry has put forward new proposals to reform itself and its relations with regulators and patients in …
AstraZeneca looks to oncology pipeline after failure of Iressa
January 20, 2005Sales and Marketing
AstraZeneca has withdrawn its marketing application for its lung cancer drug Iressa in the European Union following the release of …
FDA blocks self-diagnosis over-the-counter statin Mevacor
January 20, 2005Medical Communications
Merck and Johnson & Johnson's application to sell the statin Mevacor (lovastatin) has failed to gain approval from an FDA …
Pfizer survey shows UK patients want greater information
January 20, 2005Medical Communications
Nearly half of UK patients with long-term conditions don't think they have enough information about their disease and that this …
Text messages and e-mails to help spread health message
January 20, 2005Medical Communications
Patients with long-term conditions are to be provided with more information and improved services to encourage them to take better …
Breakthrough cancer drug Avastin approved
January 20, 2005Sales and Marketing
Roche’s new colon cancer treatment Avastin has been approved by the European Commission, where it will go on sale at …
Lilly takes on BMJ over Prozac claims
January 20, 2005Sales and Marketing
Eli Lilly has gone on the offensive over allegations that it concealed important safety information on its antidepressant drug Prozac.In …
Med comms veteran launches Acumen
January 14, 2005Medical Communications
Medical communications veteran Brian Palphramand has launched a new agency with the aim of providing a tailor-made medical communications service.Basingstoke-based …
