And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, as you know, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is modest, as usual. We hope to escort Mrs. Pharmalot to a rent party, spend time with our short people, and tidy up around the castle. And what about you? Anything special planned? Spring is nearly here, so perhaps this is an opportunity to enjoy some fresh air. You could also file your taxes, since the US Treasury could use the money. Or simply plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. See you soon …
At a recent meeting with his management team, Valeant Pharmaceuticals chief executive Michael Pearson insisted the beleaguered drug maker does not have any further surprises for investors, according to Bloomberg News. “There is no other big shoe to drop that I am aware of. To the best of my knowledge we are not sitting on any other big issues.” Valeant is doing “a lot better than the outside perception.”
India’s Supreme Court refused to hear two lawsuits filed by Dinesh Thakur, a whistleblower who accused regulators of failing to enforce drug-safety standards. Thakur, whose work with US authorities led to a $500 million fine paid by Ranbaxy Laboratories for safety failures, claimed government oversight is unconstitutional. “I am disappointed,” but “I will continue to fight for the quality and safety of medicines for patients worldwide,” he wrote on his blog.
Doctors Without Borders filed a so-called patent opposition in India to prevent Pfizer from obtaining a patent on the Prevnar pneumococcal vaccine, The Pharma Letter writes. The relief group had previously begun a campaign to persuade Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline to lower the prices they charge for their pneumococcal vaccines and hope this move will allow more affordable versions may become available in developing countries.
A Swiss importer that supplied counterfeit versions of the Harvoni hepatitis C treatment to Israel has named the Indian manufacturer from which it bought the supplies and is cooperating with authorities, InPharma Technologist writes. Gilead Sciences, which makes the medication, had licensed the rights to several Indian generic companies to provide lower-cost versions in various countries.
The US Senate passed a bill to fund treatment for opioid addiction for prisoners, increase opioid abuse prevention efforts, and expand availability of the naloxone anti-overdose drug, MedPage Today reports.
The US Patent and Trademark Office denied three challenges filed by Kyle Bass against patents for the Subsys cancer pain med owned by Insys Pharma, Corporate Counsel writes.
Biogen plans to appeal a decision by the European Patent Office revoking one of four patents covering its best-selling Tecfidera multiple sclerosis treatment, The Boston Business Journal reports.
Sun Pharmaceuticals, which is India’s largest drug maker, voluntarily recalled 381,120 cartons of osteoporosis drugs in the US and Puerto Rico due to an unknown impurity, The Economic Times says.
Ralph Larsen, who was chief executive at Johnson & Johnson for 13 years from 1989 through 2002, died Wednesday from cardiac arrest. He was 77 years old.
The European Commission approved Teva Pharmaceuticals’s planned $40.5 billion purchase of Allergan’s global generics business, Pharma Times reports.
Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals say their experimental rheumatoid arthritis treatment helped patients more than AbbVie’s Humira in a late-stage trial, Bloomberg News tells us.
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