Pharma News
Fresenius Kabi acquires Merck KGaA’s biosimilars business
Fresenius Kabi, one of the independently operated business segments of global healthcare group Fresenius, announced on 1 September 2017 that it had ‘successfully closed the acquisition of Merck KGaA’s biosimilars business’.
Generics in Greece most expensive in the EU and uptake remain low
Despite being one of Europe’s poorest countries, Greece continues to spend on expensive patented drugs and only a quarter of medicines prescribed in the country are generics, according to recent analysis by Politico.
Daiichi Sankyo ends deal with Coherus for etanercept biosimilar in Japan
Daiichi Sankyo announced on 5 July 2017 that it was ending its co-development in Japan with Coherus BioSciences (Coherus) of a biosimilar to Amgen’s arthritis drug Enbrel (etanercept).
German drugmaker Stada to be sold for over US$5 billion
After months of discussions, German generics firm Stada has announced that it will be sold for US$5.63 billion to private equity firms Bain Capital and Cinven.
Japan’s Sawai to acquire US generics business Upsher-Smith
Sawai Pharmaceutical Company Ltd (Sawai) has signed an agreement to purchase the generics section of US firm Upsher-Smith in an attempt to enter the vast American pharmaceuticals market.
Fresenius Kabi to acquire Akorn and Merck KGaA’s biosimilars business
Fresenius Kabi, one of the independently operated business segments of global healthcare group Fresenius, announced on 24 April 2017 that it had made two deals ‘to strengthen and diversify’ its business.
Samsung BioLogics and Aurobindo investing in biosimilars
Both Samsung and Aurobindo see a bright future for biosimilars. Samsung BioLogics, which is the specialized biotechnology arm of Samsung, raised almost US$2 billion in November 2016 via an initial public offering (IPO) that valued the company at US$7.9 billion. This, according to Robert Wessman, Chairman and CEO at Alvogen, ‘underlines the confidence of the market in biosimilar companies’. Especially when considering that Samsung BioLogics only came into existence in 2011 [1].
Merck KGaA to sell off biosimilars business
Germany’s drugmaker Merck KGaA (Merck Group) is to sell its biosimilars division, according to a statement made in its 2016 annual report.
Australians pay too much for prescription drugs
Australians are paying way too much for their prescription drugs, according to a new report released in March 2017 by the Grattan Institute, an independent, non-partisan think tank.
CinnaGen to invest in Turkish pharmaceuticals sector
Turkey’s health minister, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, has announced that the country is planning to produce medicines locally by attracting foreign investors. The strategy aims to reduce healthcare spending in the country and reduce its reliance on imports of medicines from foreign countries.
