EC final report condemns industry malpractice
The European Commission has confirmed that the market entry of generic drugs is delayed and that company practices are among the causes in its final report on the competition inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector. More...

Roche waves goodbye to pharma
Roche appears to want out of the Big Pharma crowd. A report from the UK's Financial Times claims that Roche will not renew its membership of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), while the company has also confirmed that it has officially withdrawn from the US's Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA). More...

Fake Tamiflu warning
With the World Health Organization (WHO) having declared the spread of swine flu "unstoppable" at a recent meeting in Mexico, there is increasing concern about counterfeits of Roche's anti-viral medicine Tamiflu, which are being purchased over the internet by panicking consumers. More...

July issue of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe available online!
The latest issue of Pharmaceutical Technology Europe includes articles on microdosing, dynamic avalanching, the pharma Top 50 and nanotechnology. More...

Final stem cell research rules issued
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have issued final guidelines for human stem cell research that widen the door to the cell lines that can be used if they meet certain ethical requirements .More...

'Pharmerging' markets and the new world order
The recent IMS press briefing that spelled out such gloomy news for western pharma markets for 2009 (-2 to -1% growth in the US; 2 to 3% growth in Europe) had a different story to tell for the fate of the emerging markets (or 'pharmerging' markets, if we use the new buzzword). More...

Spain constructs first vaccine plant
Spain's first in-border facility to develop pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines will be built under a 60 million euro programme sponsored and led by the Spanish Ministry of Health. More...

USP seeks comments on four excipient monographs
The US Pharmacopeia is revising its monographs for four pharmaceutical excipients: propylene glycol, sorbitol solution, sorbitol sorbitan solution and noncrystalllizing sorbitol solution. More...

J&J invests $1.5 billion in deal with Elan
Johnson & Johnson (J&J; NJ, USA) has agreed to pay $1 billion (719 million euro) to acquire the assets and rights of the Alzheimer’s immunotherapy programme (AIP) of the biopharmaceutical company Elan (Ireland), to form a new company with Elan based on the AIP programme, and gain an 18.4% stake in Elan. More...

Once-daily diabetes treatment gets EU OK
The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Novo Nordisk's Victoza (liraglutide). More...