Brand of the Year: Humira

Pharmaceutical Executive | Ben Comer

Despite an already crowded market, everyone is keen on developing new medicines to combat autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. The anti-TNFs – Remicade, Enbrel, and PharmExec’s Brand of the Year, Humira – are the towering giants in the space. Their combined sales exceed the GDP of Afghanistan. Even with patent expiration beginning in early 2017, analysts are predicting that Humira’s sales will surpass Lipitor’s as the top-selling drug ever. For patients, the anti-TNFs can mean the difference between a crippling disability, and a relatively normal existence.

Humira continues to grow, a decade after launch. Abbott reported a global growth rate of 21.1% for Humira, with total sales at $7.9 billion, for 2011. On the earnings call, Abbott execs touted the biologic drug’s breadth of indication, strong long-term safety and outcomes data, including a record of superior clinical efficacy, and a deft managed market performance. Jeffrey Stewart, Abbott’s VP of U.S. proprietary pharmaceuticals, says the fundamental talents at Abbott revolve around anticipating the market, and then executing on strategy. “When you think about the three biggest indications – RA, psoriasis, and Crohn’s – our indication set is the closest match to the market,” says Stewart.

Which Pharma company is leading the charge in Productive Innovation for 2012?

IDEA Pharma has launched the second annual Productive Innovation Index (PII), ranking 21 global pharmaceutical companies for their ability to add value to, and derive value from, molecules in pre-launch.

The word “innovation” is often used as a key marker of success with reference to the pharmaceutical industry. The ability to identify and develop novel treatments that represent a medical step forward is critical for the future growth of any Pharma company and in improving the treatment of many diseases. However, innovation is only valuable if it effectively reaches the market and the target patient groups. So Pharma has a role in not only researching new drugs and medical technologies, but also in ensuring it is able to commercialise such novel technologies. The question is therefore how the relative ability of Pharma companies to do this can be understood?

Survey: Docs Are Surrendering To Generics

Pharma Blog | Ed Silverman 

As the arrival of a generic version of the best-selling Lipitor pill neared last fall, a group of physicians - mostly, family medicine docs and internists - were asked about their views on prescribing lower-cost copycat meds, in general. Not surprisingly, 64 percent reported they were somewhat likely to switch to a generic within six months of availability. And 82 percent would do so within the first nine months.

At the same time, though, 65 percent reported that they have experienced a failure with a generic equivalent where the brand-name drug was successful. And 94 percent reported that their own patients had indicated a generic did not work as well as the branded drug they were taking previously, according to DoctorDirectory, a firm that specializes in brand-name marketing.

Και σήμερα στάση εργασίας στα νοσοκομεία - 24ωρη απεργία στις 9 Φεβρουαρίου

Νέα στάση εργασίας αποφάσισαν να πραγματοποιήσουν σήμερα οι νοσοκομειακοί γιατροί Αθήνας και Πειραιά, αντιδρώντας στην περαιτέρω μείωση του μισθού τους και ζητώντας να καλυφθούν οι κενές θέσεις στο ΕΣΥ.

Όπως ανακοίνωσε η Ένωση Ιατρών Νοσοκομείων Αθηνών-Πειραιώς (ΕΙΝΑΠ), η νέα στάση εργασίας θα γίνει από τις 11 το πρωί έως τις 2 το μεσημέρι - ώρες κατά τις οποίες οι γιατροί θα συγκεντρωθούν έξω από το υπουργείο Υγείας.

Την ερχόμενη Πέμπτη 9 Φεβρουαρίου, εξάλλου, οι γιατροί θα πραγματοποιήσουν 24ωρη απεργία.

Οι γιατροί υποστηρίζουν σε ανακοίνωσή τους πως με τις έως τώρα μισθολογικές περικοπές που τους έχουν γίνει, έχουν χάσει έως και πέντε από τους 14 μισθούς του έτους.

Επιπλέον, καταγγέλουν πως στη λειτουργία των δημοσίων νοσοκομείων δημιουργούνται πλέον σοβαρά προβλήματα εξαιτίας των κενών από τις συνταξιοδοτήσεις/αποχωρήσεις γιατρών και την μη πλήρωσή τους.

Boehringer Ingelheim to start blogging 'very soon'

'Boehringer Ingelheim is preparing to join the ranks of pharmaceutical companies that blog “very soon”, according to its head of online communications John Pugh. The company’s forthcoming blog will be called The Future Just Happened and Pugh told PMLiVE he was looking to work with a range of guest bloggers, including patients.

 This would differentiate it from established pharma blogs from companies like GSK (More Than Medicine), AstraZeneca (AZ Health Connections) and Lilly (Lilly Pad), which tend to confine themselves to featuring company employees.'

 Για να δείτε αναλυτικά ταπεριεχόμενα του βιβλίου ή να το παραγγείλετε πατήστε εδώ…

Για να δείτε αναλυτικά τα περιεχόμενα του βιβλίου ή να το παραγγείλετε πατήστε εδώ…

Οι εντολές της τρόικας για το νέο ΕΣΥ

Εντολή τα γενόσημα φάρμακα να φθάσουν στο 50% των συνταγογραφήσεων - Με συμμετοχή του ασφαλισμένου τα ακριβά φάρμακα και οι εξετάσεις. Την ώρα που τα φώτα είναι στραμμένα στις αλλαγές στην αγορά εργασίας μια μεγάλη αλλαγή στο Εθνικό Σύστημα Υγείας έρχεται με εντολή της τρόικας.

Στην έκθεση για το νέο μνημόνιο και το ειδικό κεφάλαιο για τις αλλαγές στην πρωτοβάθμια υγεία και στη νοσοκομειακή περίθαλψη προτείνεται η απορρόφηση των κλάδων υγείας όλων των ασφαλιστικών ταμείων από το υπουργείο Υγείας ενώ και ο ΕΟΠΠΥ περνά στην αρμοδιότητα του υπουργού Υγείας κ. Ανδρέα Λοβέρδου.

Goldman Sachs: 2012 will be a “banner year” for generics companies

Generic drug sales will peak this year, says a Goldman Sachs report, as the sector approaches its own cliff. Goldman's healthcare team, led by Jami Rubin, writes that 2012 will be a “banner year” for generics companies, with big patent expirations feeding strong double-digit earnings growth (18%, on average, for large cap generics firms). However, the US business is “rapidly maturing” due to fewer first-to-file and small molecule opportunities ahead, as indicated by Teva's downcast 2012 guidance.

Research talents awarded scholarships to help secure Denmark's future

Forty Three of Denmark's most talented students in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical sciences last week be awarded Novo Scholarships, the largest of their kind in Denmark. "We must learn how to nurture the wealth of research talent to be found in Denmark. The Novo Scholarships are a good example of this and can inspire more young people to become interested in the natural sciences," says Morten Østergaard, Danish Minister for Research, Innovation and Higher Education. 

How is Denmark to sustain itself in the future? How do we generate the innovation needed for Denmark to retain its leading position in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology? How do we get young people more interested in studying the natural sciences?

Thirteen major pharmaceutical companies Push To Eliminate 10 Tropical Diseases

Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca PLC, Bayer AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eisai Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Johnson & Johnson, Merck KgaA, Merck & Co., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc. Sanofi SA., government groups and health charities will work together in a push to eliminate or control by 2020 10 tropical diseases that affect more than a billion people in poor countries. The drugmakers will donate medicines, research work, access to patented drug compounds and other assistance.

The partners, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, call it the largest coordinated effort ever to combat neglected tropical diseases. The government groups and charities alone are committing just over $785 million in new funding.

The drugmakers are donating billions of doses of their medicines over the rest of the decade, but did not attribute a value to them. The companies also will work together to speed up development of new treatments, and the partners will work on improving drug delivery and treatment programs, including prevention and education. The diseases include leprosy, sleeping sickness and river blindness.