Author: PharmaTimes

GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca have voiced their strong opposition of adopting US-style direct-to-consumer advertising of drugs as a meant to speeding up the uptake of medicines in the UK, according to Industry reports.

The UK subsidiary of Germany’s Merck KGaA, Merck Pharmaceuticals, has launched a new sustained-release formulation of its widely used oral diabetes drug Glucophage (metformin) that is designed to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal side effects with the drug. This is the first European launch of the product, which is also available in the US as Glucophage XR.

Biotechnology company, Xoma, says that it has restructured its collaboration agreement with Genentech for the psoriasis drug, Raptiva (efalizumab), and in return for reducing its sales-related royalty, its partner has agreed to write off a loan.

Drugmaker Eli Lilly yesterday launched a public relations campaign to counteract allegations made in the British Medical Journal that it had covered up documents linking its Prozac (fluoxetine) antidepressant with suicide attempts and violence [[04/01/05c]].

Merck & Co will have to demonstrate that its cholesterol-lowering agent, Mevacor (lovastatin), can be used safely without a prescription in order to win US Food and Drug Administration clearance as an over-the-counter product, an FDA advisory committee revealed yesterday.