Pharma News
Actavis to buy UK generics maker Auden McKenzie
US generics maker Actavis announced on 26 January 2015 that it had agreed to buy UK generics maker Auden McKenzie. The deal will propel Actavis into the top position in the UK for generics suppliers, placing it in third position in the UK overall.
Amgen’s approach in the biosimilars market
Biotech giant Amgen now has a biosimilars programme that includes nine different molecules [1]. A representative from Amgen has spoken to GaBI about the company’s venture into biosimilars [2].
Top 10 most read GaBI Online articles in 2014
2014 was once again a busy year for biosimilars, ranging from revision of regulatory guidelines to naming and extrapolation. Biosimilars remain the hot topic for GaBI Online during 2014 and, in fact, all 10 of the most read articles concern biosimilars.
Cipla makes deal with Serum Institute for vaccines in Europe
India-based generics maker Cipla announced on 20 November 2014 that it had signed a deal with the Serum Institute of India (Serum Institute) to distribute vaccines in Europe.
Actavis buys Allergan and joins pharma top 10
On 17 November 2014, US generics maker Actavis announced that the company had made a deal to acquire botox-maker Allergan for US$66 billion.
Xbrane signs biosimilar optimization deal with Indian pharma firm
Swedish biotech company Xbrane Bioscience (Xbrane) has signed an agreement with a global Indian pharmaceutical company to assist them in developing an optimized production system for a specific biosimilar that will be marketed worldwide. The aim is to help the client reduce production costs in order to gain a competitive advantage in the biosimilar market.
Cipla Medpro to collaborate with Teva for generics in South Africa
India-based generics maker Cipla announced on 8 October 2014 that it had made a collaboration deal with Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals for sales and distribution of the latter’s generic drugs in South Africa.
Supernus sues Actavis over generic Trokendi XR
US-based central nervous system specialist Supernus Pharmaceuticals (Supernus) announced on 2 Oct 2014 that it had sued generics maker Actavis for infringement of three patents covering its antiepileptic drug Trokendi XR (extended release topiramate). The three US patents (8,298,576, 8,298,580, and 8,663,683) cover once-a-day topiramate formulations and methods of treating seizures using those formulations.
Generics maker IGI Labs gains rights to AstraZeneca injectables
Speciality topical generics maker IGI Laboratories (IGI Labs) announced on 25 September 2014 that it had acquired the rights for 18 drugs from AstraZeneca.
India suffers HIV drug shortages
Supply bottlenecks and late payments to drugmakers have hit HIV treatment supplies across India, according to reports in the Indian press. The drug shortages, which affect those least able to pay, have seen some government distribution centres running out of drugs altogether.
