Days before entering into exclusive takeover negotiations with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Actelion (VTX:ATLN) was reportedly fielding an offer from Sanofi (NYSE:SNY). But the Swiss biotech eventually agreed to go with J&J’s $30 billion bid in an all-cash deal at the end of January. Actelion accepted the U.S. healthcare giant’s offer because it provided more certainty, Reuters reported today. The prospectus […]
Pfizer Inc.
Pfizer appeals $107m fine for anti-epilepsy drug prices in UK
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Flynn Pharma have appealed the record $107 million (£84.2 million) and $6.5 million (£5.2 million) fines imposed by the U.K. Competition & Markets Authority in December for the companies’ massive price hikes to their unbranded versions of anti-epilepsy drug Epanutin. In its appeal, Pfizer claims that the regulator did not consider market realities when […]
ICU Medical touts dosing errors study
ICU Medical (NSDQ:ICUI) said today that a multi-hospital study showed improvements in potentially catastrophic dosing errors and drug library compliance when its Plum infusion pumps and Hospira (NYSE:HSP) MedNet safety software were integrated with the hospitals’ electronic medical records. The rate of potentially catastrophic dosing errors fell by 52% after smart-pump EMR integration, the study found, […]
Pfizer misses on Q4 earnings
Shares in Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) remained steady today after the pharmaceutical company missed expectations on Wall Street with its 4th quarter results. The U.S. pharma giant posted profits of $775 million, or 13¢ per share, for the 3 months ended December 31, 2016, compared to a bottom-line loss of $172 million in the same period last year. Pfizer also reported revenues of $13.63 billion, a […]
Artificial leaf produces drugs using solar energy
Researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology have reportedly developed a leaf-inspired mini-factory to produce drugs using solar energy. The team’s work could allow medicine to be made in resource-deprived areas, as long as there is sunlight. “Theoretically, you could use this device to make drug compounds with solar energy anywhere you want,” lead researcher […]
Draper, Pfizer ink ‘organ-on-a-chip’ deal
Draper said today that it inked a 3-year collaboration deal with Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to develop Draper’s microphysiological system technology. The ‘organ-on-a-chip’ system is designed to improve preclinical safety and model diseases more effectively. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company’s miniature organ model enables researchers to measure tissue function and test potential new drug candidates. Draper and Pfizer will collaborate […]
Trump comments send pharma, biotech shares down
(Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday took aim at drugmakers, promising in a magazine interview that “I’m going to bring down drug prices,” and shares of U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies fell. In a cover story for Time magazine, which named him its Person of the Year, Trump said that “I don’t like what […]
UK slaps Pfizer with record $107m fine over price hikes
The U.K.’s Competition & Markets Authority reportedly fined Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Flynn Pharma a record amount for the companies’ massive price hikes to their unbranded versions of anti-epilepsy drug Epanutin. The British anti-trust watchdog fined Pfizer and Flynn Pharma $107 million (£84.2 million) and $6.5 million (£5.2 million), respectively. New York City-based Pfizer used to market the phenytoin sodium anti-epilepsy […]
Tax holiday could ignite more pharma M&A
(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to incentivize U.S. companies to repatriate their swelling overseas cash piles could spur a new wave of dealmaking in a pharmaceutical industry seeking to buy its way into growth. For years, big U.S. drugmakers have turned to acquisitions of foreign companies to put their overseas cash to work, […]
Sanofi throws hat in the ring with J&J’s in Actelion pursuit
Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) is reportedly considering a bid for Actelion Pharmaceuticals (VTX:ATLN), competing with an offer made to the Swiss biotech by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). Bloomberg reported that Sanofi is working with advisers to assess its options and has made its interest known informally to Actelion. The French drugmaker has not made a formal comment on the matter […]