News


Biologicals in EU to be identified by brand names

Published on 2013/05/20

The European Commission has issued a directive which requires biological products to be identified by brand name and not by international nonproprietary name (INN). The European Commission’s Direct...

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MEPs adopt directive to give quicker access to generics

Published on 2013/05/17

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have adopted the text of the Transparency Directive 2012/0035(COD) by a large majority in a plenary session of the parliament on 6 February 2013. The draft l...

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Biosimilars to replace 70% of chemical drugs

Published on 2013/05/15

Biosimilars will replace some 70% of global chemical drugs over the next couple of decades, according to industry experts. This replacement will occur due to the better safety profiles of biosimilars ...

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Inequality in Europe over access to biologicals for arthritis

Published on 2013/05/13

Data from a study presented at the European League Against Rheumatism’s Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, EULAR Congress 2012, demonstrates the vast inequalities in access to biologicals for...

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Generics policies in Europe have room for improvement

Published on 2013/05/10

In Europe, generics policies have not yet been implemented to their full extent, according to authors Vogler and Zimmerman, reporting on the 2011 Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Information (...

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Medicines spending in Brazil

Published on 2013/05/08

The Brazilian pharmaceutical market is the third largest in the Americas region, behind the US and Canada; it ranks first in the Latin American region. Pharmaceutical demand will continue to rise, fue...

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G-CSF biosimilars – World Marrow Donor Association position

Published on 2013/05/06

The World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) has expressed its position on the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) biosimilars in healthy donors in an article published in the journal H...

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Prescribing in Scotland increases but drug costs drop

Published on 2013/05/03

Spending on medicine in Scotland was 11% less in 2011–2012 compared to spending in 2004–2005. This is despite the volume of prescriptions increasing by 33% during that time, according to a new rep...

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Generic Doxil approval may help alleviate drug shortages

Published on 2013/05/01

FDA announced on 4 February 2013 that the agency had approved the first generic version of the cancer drug Doxil (doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome injection). Liposomal doxorubicin is used to tre...

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Assessment of biosimilarity under the BPCI Act

Published on 2013/04/29

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCI) Act defines a biosimilar as a product that is highly similar to the reference product notwithstanding minor differences in clinically inactive com...

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Conflict-of-interest policies reduce brand-name prescribing

Published on 2013/04/26

Psychiatrists who are exposed to conflict-of-interest (COI) policies during their residency are less likely to prescribe brand-name antidepressants after graduation than those who train in residency p...

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Biotech firms try to limit biosimilar substitution in US

Published on 2013/04/24

FDA is still to approve a biosimilar and has yet to issue final guidelines outlining the regulatory requirements for approval of a biosimilar in the US. However, despite this fact at least six US sta...

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