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FDA officials say a highly-anticipated drug to treat hepatitis C made by Merck appears to cure more patients in less time than established drugs.

Generic drugmaker Mylan Inc. said Monday it has launched a generic version of Novartis' breast cancer treatment Femara.

According to a national survey, more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined.

The launch of Lexapro? will be supported by more than 2,000 sales representatives, which is fully competitive in the Japanese market.

Four of the five cancers that result in the greatest burden of disease had relatively few clinical trials: lung, colorectal, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

As a result of a recent inspection and a follow-up meeting with FDA, Luitpold agreed to suspend distribution of any drug product manufactured at its Shirley, New York facility.

Through the agreement, ICON and ACRONET will collaborate to offer global and Japanese pharmaceutical clients a full range of clinical development capabilities.

Amgen has outlined its strategy, capital allocation plans and provided financial guidance for 2015 during a meeting with investors this week.

The sale of two manufacturing plants in Memphis and Aiken leads to the potential loss of 460 manufacturing jobs.

Gilead Sciences said Wednesday it signed a licensing deal with MicroDose Therapeutx for an experimental respiratory syncytial virus treatment.

The tremendous earthquake in Japan damaged the production plant of Aska, which is a joint venture partner of Actavis. This left Japan with a potential supply shortage of Levothyroxine.

The EU has awarded about $1.6 million to a consortium of companies developing an ultrasound-triggered drug-delivery technology.

The companies plan to explore future cooperation opportunities, including further distribution and commercialization, research and development activities, manufacturing and equity investment opportunities.

The Debio 1142 project aims to develop inhibitors that target this oncology pathway, which plays key roles in various solid tumours.

With the acquisition of Kinaxo, Evotec is expanding its drug discovery platform with cutting-edge technologies.

The company stated its decision was based on its inability to address the CHMP’s request to provide additional data within the timeframe allowed in the centralised procedure.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. bought NovaMed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Chinese specialty pharmaceutical company, in a cash and stock deal worth up to nearly $105 million.

Baxter International Inc. said Monday it will acquire privately-held Prism Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for a total consideration of up to $338 million.

The new CRO company will employ about 400 employees and generate over 50 Mio Euros of revenues.

Regulus Therapeutics is working with researchers from university to identify new microRNA therapeutics for the treatment of angiogenic diseases.

GSK will divest non-core OTC brands for its Consumer Healthcare business around a portfolio of priority brands and emerging markets.

Merck and Johnson & Johnson have finally reached a settlement in their dispute over the distribution rights for Remicade and Simponi.

Bayer has submitted its rivaroxaban to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for marketing approval in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Nycomed replaces the specialty pharmaceutical company Biomeks ?la? (Biomeks) as the marketing authorization holder and distributor for the majority of Biomeks' product portfolio in Turkey.

Bydureon, a long-acting form of the daily drug Byetta, has received EU recommendation which is very important for Eli Lilly and Amylin.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company developing cancer drugs, said it has raised $77 million in a private financing round.

The investment will advance the company's lead product candidate, Lidocaine Releasing Intravesical System (LiRIS), into later stage clinical development.

A division of Johnson & Johnson recalls approximately 57,000 bottles of Topamax after reports of an uncharacteristic odor.

Privately-held specialty pharma Axcan will buy Mpex Pharmaceuticals to obtain the latter's Phase III-stage Aeroquin therapy.

Orasi Medical announced yesterday that the company has entered into an agreement with Biogen Idec to test novel biomarkers in the development of treatments for central nervous system disorders.

The companies signed a collaboration and license agreement under which Pieris will use its Anticalin scaffold technology against two targets to be provided by Daiichi Sankyo.

The internal integration of user and manufacturer helps ensure products align properly with user requirements and capabilities.

An additional commitment of $40 million dollars to the Japanese Red Cross brings the total contributions of the American Red Cross to $100 million.

Amgen has expanded its operations into Brazil with the acquisition of Bergamo, a privately held Brazilian pharmaceutical company, for approximately $215 million.

The companies plan to proceed quickly with the transaction close to begin integration of the businesses and establishing a globally leading eye care business.

AMRI announced that it has entered into a development and commercial supply agreement with Parnell.

The WHO said generations of drugs are under threat as microorganisms are becoming increasingly resistant to them.

The company may look at deals worth more than $10 billion to compensate for a lack of organic growth and to provide an outlet for its steady buildup of cash.

Lupin will receive a $10 million up-front payment as well as potential U.S. regulatory milestones for products covered by Lupin patents or jointly held patents.

Optimer will be responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of Dificid in the U.S. and for recording product revenue.

The need for such voice system arose when constant use of a barcode reader slowed picking.

The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a judgment in its favor concerning its litigation over Dipharma's manufacture and sale of Fexofenadine HCl.

Merck says it is buying Inspire Pharmaceuticals for about $430 million to expand its product portfolio with treatments for eye conditions.

Evans Analytical Group, Inc. announced that it has acquired Chemir Analytical Services and its affiliates CAS-MI Laboratories and Cyanta Analytical Services.

Pfizer paid $177 million and GlaxoSmithKline PLC paid $85 million during 2010 to U.S. doctors and institutions for their work on clinical trials, consulting, speaking and other items.

BARDA is giving $231 million to Australia-based Biota for the company's flu treatment laninamivir.

Roche Korea has restructured for 2011 as part of its recently announced Operational Excellence Program.

Pharmacies in Wales are handing out emergency contraception free of charge to under 16s. The move has caused controversy in the UK.

The UK's Acacia Pharma raised $10 million in its Series A financing.

Isogenica announced that it has established a dedicated business development and customer support team based in Alameda, California.

ICON has established a new office in Shanghai to expand its business in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ecron Acunova has acquired a full service CRO to expand its clinical research presence in north Europe region.

New measures in the budget have been made to benefit pharma industry in the UK including an additional ?100m for science innovation facilities.

A cannabis-based oromucosal spray for the treatment of spasticity will be launched in six European countries.

The three-year research collaboration will investigate the role of the osteoblast-secreted peptide, osteocalcin, in diabetes management.

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DSM’s new strategy is to respond to key trends in an effort to support its customers in developing solutions that meet current and future needs.

Based in Parma, Italy, GF S.p.A offers production programs for both aseptic and multifunction filling, as well as inspection machines and a range of products for varying filling needs.

Drug developer Pozen said the deal marks the first step in bringing its treatment to migraine patients living outside the United States.

Cephalon has signed a contract to acquire Gemin X Pharmaceuticals. The merge is expected to close in 2Q11.

The two firms have mutually agreed that ending the agreement is in the best interests of both companies. There are no associated termination penalties and each company is responsible for its own expenses.

A Sao Paolo-based manufacturer of plastic pharmaceutical packaging products has been acquired by Gerresheimer AG for the development of packaging business in South America.

The alliance between Almac and Exco InTouch provides sponsors with a practical, cost-effective solution to managing patients during a clinical trial.

The Tekmira-Alnylam fight highlights the current research efforts to overcome the challenge of delivering RNAi drugs into cells before they are damaged in the bloodstream or cause certain immune reactions.

Two industry groups with skin in the game say they want foreign API plants inspected by the FDA. And they're willing to pay for it.

Quest Diagnostics agreed Friday to acquire Celera Corp. as the company seeks to expand in gene-based medical testing.

Bionetworks and AstraZeneca have initiated a collaboration to make new insights into some cancers using advanced computational models of disease genetics.

Ambrilia and ZBx has entered into an exclusive license option agreement for the worldwide rights to Ambrilia's PSP-94 technology for prostate cancer diagnosis.

Anacor announced its development agreement with Medicines for Malaria Venture to develop a treatment of malaria.

The emergency relief headquarters will deliver ethical drugs to help the people affected by the earthquake.

GSK is practicing its disaster relief program for the quake victims in Japan.

Daiichi Sankyo will recall 13 lots in Japan of a Sanofi Pasteur ActHIB vaccine due to an unidentified substance found in two syringes.

Mylan said that its internal investigation found that labels for Mylan-Amlodipine were mixed together with labels for Mylan-Minocycline. The recall affects one lot of the meds.

The collaboration is expected to establish a biomarker strategy aimed at identifying biological responses to drugs in relevant tissues.

India and Nigeria have signed an agreement to cooperate in the pharmaceutical sector.

Donations from pharmaceutical companies are being provided to help the victims in Japan.

Among PhRMA member companies, more than 75 percent of research dollars were invested in the U.S.

The EMA and the US FDA will conduct parallel assessment of QbD development and manufacturing data for new drug submissions.

The investment will enable Cytovance to expand its clinical trial and commercial scale cGMP manufacturing by funding facility, service and personnel expansion at its research and manufacturing operation.

Japan is handing out iodine pills to prevent the risk of thyroid cancer as the danger of nuclear radiation increases.

SCOLR Pharma has received a letter from the FDA identifying deficiencies regarding its Abbreviated New Drug Application for extended-release pseudoephedrine.

Nine life science companies have made the list of the top 50 innovators.

More drugs approved in the U.S. are manufactured overseas. This makes FDA inspection rate drop.

Amgen has selected two organizations to respond to its large-scale disaster relief efforts.

Global healthcare company Abbott donates $3 million through its philanthropic foundation, the Abbott Fund, for the relief efforts in response to Japan quake.

According to some preliminary reports, the pharma industry in Japan has suffered no major damage after the 9.0M earthquake and the consequent tsunami.

In response to the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan last Friday, some pharmaceutical companies have donated medical supplies and millions of dollars in funding for victims.

A new white paper suggests that Asia is injecting new life into global drug discovery and development.

FDA has given its effort to alleviate a drug supply shortage.

Under the terms of the consent decree, the company will continue to operate the manufacturing facilities in Las Piedras, PR and Lancaster, PA.

Researchers in Oxford, UK, have been awarded over ?148,000 for the development of a novel vaccine against meningitis B in children.

Wilson, best-selling author of the new book 'The Mercy of Eternity: A Memoir of Depression and Grace,' had to muster everything in him to seek a second opinion for his mental illness.

Epizyme Inc. has partnered with Japanese firm Eisai Co. Ltd. to prompt development and commercialization of new treatments aimed at epigenetic enzyme.

A two billion-euro program unleashed a fresh, $241 million round of financing for dozens projects aimed at spurring close alliances among academics and drug developers.

A new research continues to fuel concerns about Thimerosal (THIM), a mercury-based compound used as a preservative in inactivated flu vaccines.

A research group has found a way to design viral vectors to elude a common immune function, making the engineered vectors potential vehicles for delivering drugs.

The partnership will lead to the development of a pipeline of exciting drug candidates in diabetes.

Animas, the J&J unit that makes the affected products, said that the recall includes 2.0 milliliter insulin cartridges shipped to sites in the U.S. and France between Nov. 30 and Jan. 4.

Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. announced that SL-401, the Company's lead compound, has received Orphan Drug designation from the FDA for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The FDA called for the stop of sales of about 500 unapproved prescription allergy, cold, and cough medicines. There are clearly some drugmakers that will be affected by the action.

The alliance is expected to combine both parties' resources to accelerate the development of pharmaceutical discoveries from China.

70% believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will reduce their Medicare benefits, despite the fact that the bill does not cut Medicare benefits and instead adds some.

RainDance Technologies and Ambry Genetics announced a new collaboration focused on the development and commercialization of a comprehensive drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) genetic screening panel.

Eisai Co., Ltd., plans to restructure its operations in the US to become a more efficient and focused organization.

Genzyme Board of Directors unanimously recommends that Genzyme shareholders accept the sanofi-aventis revised tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Genzyme common stock.

With the purpose to give British researchers the tools they need to develop new world-class treatments and innovations for NHS patients, the UK will allocate ?775m over the next five years for treatments research.

Indian officials expressed their concern over the alledged campaigning launched by multinational firms against the country's domestic pharma industry, especially in the generic segment.

Under the terms of the agreement, Galderma will have exclusive access to a number of compounds from across AstraZeneca’s portfolio to develop in dermatological indications.

Ventrus hires inVentiv Clinical Solutions and Almac Group for its Phase III pivotal trial in the treatment of hemorrhoids with iferanserin ointment.

Bayer HealthCare signed an extension of its collaboration agreement with WHO to fight a deadly tropical disease.

The collaboration between the two pharma companies is expected to create a streamlined and efficient process to move a candidate from development to clinical evaluation.

LSNE has completed a comprehensive FDA audit of its medical device manufacturing facility.

AstraZeneca said the current treatment for TB, directly observed short-course chemotherapy, was old, slow and inefficient by today's standards.

HP announced its first non-inkjet printer application of its printing technology which enables pharmaceutical companies to more efficiently develop better drugs through vastly more precise dispensing of dosages.

The addition of the USP 797 Clean Room allows for complex extemporaneous compounding for low, medium and high-risk investigational compounds.

Buyouts offer the only other lucrative exit strategy for venture backers.

It is reported 70 percent of the medicines given to children have only been tested in adults.

The European Commission confirmed that Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel will remain a treatment option for women with metastatic breast cancer in Europe.

The 2015 deadline of the California Board of Pharmacy serialization mandate and similar upcoming regulations worldwide drives pharma industry to serialize the product lines.

Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo said Tuesday it will buy California-based Plexxikon and the acquisition will help it obtain co-promotion rights in the U.S. for the late-stage oncology drug PLX4032.