Impactiviti Daily 051010 Top Pharma News

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TODAY’S NEWS

Who is the biggest supplier of prescription drugs in the U.S.? Meet Teva – “The day they get their own plane,” says Ronny Gal, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein who tracks Teva and is a devotee of the stock, “is the day I downgrade them.”…more

Insulin pen makers roll out new promos.

From the J&J CEO to all of you – sorry.

Ummm….isn’t the nurse re-using syringes really the heart of the problem here? Lawyers…

Free downloadable report from Epsilon on Pharma and Social Media.

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Leadership Training. The Impactiviti network can help you with all your needs for training managers/leaders, finding the optimal suppliers for you. Contact us (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for recommendations. And speaking of leadership, here is a great post from my friend Terry Starbucker on two indispensable traits of great leaders.

PLUS

Looking for courage…in a salesperson.

JUST FOR FUN

Waterfalls. 40 Beautiful examples.

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Impactiviti Daily 040810

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TODAY’S NEWS

Great news for hepatitis C treatment (and Vertex) – Adding the investigational drug telaprevir to standard treatment for hepatitis C infection cures about half the patients willing to give therapy a second try. That compares to a cure rate of just 14 percent among those who were retreated with the standard regimen, according to researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI)…more

Teva gets approval to market generic versions of two key Merck cardio drugs (Cozaar and Hyzaar).

Sanofi makes a long-term investment into a cool-sounding diabetes treatment (pre-Phase 1).

Is Nuvaring a pinata for plaintiff’s attorneys? – Merck’s Nuvaring contraceptive appears to be headed for the same fate as Bayer’s Yaz pill and Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho Evra contraceptive patch: It’s becoming a pinata for plaintiffs’ lawyers who allege the device is more dangerous than older, equally effective products on the market…more

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eMarketing/PR– We can recommend best-in-class partners/agencies for your needs.  Contact us (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for recommendations.

PLUS

Social Media – Nine things Pharma should learn about Social Media from Dennis Urbaniak (of Sanofi-Aventis US). And, the finalists for the first Dosie Awards are announced.

JUST FOR FUN

Did you know that Niagara Falls once ran dry? True!

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Impactiviti Daily 031810

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TODAY’S NEWS

It appears that the 3-way bidding war for Ratiopharm is going to be won by Teva. So, who will Pfizer go after next?

Abraxis jumps after successful lung cancer comparative trial – The Abraxis product, Abraxane, combines paclitaxel with a human protein to administer it in higher doses, according to company data. During the trial, in the third of three phases generally required for regulatory approval of a medicine, Abraxane showed a more successful response rate in treating non- small cell lung cancer than paclitaxel…more

Roche bullish on some pipeline drugs for cancer and cholesterol – The chief executive of Roche Holding AG said on Wednesday the Swiss drugmaker’s experimental drugs to treat melanoma and raise “good” HDL cholesterol could transform treatment of cancer and heart disease. In an interview, Roche Chief Executive Officer Severin Schwan said its drug designed to raise good cholesterol, called dalcetrapib, “could be a game changer in how we treat lipid diseases,” noting it is being tested in 15,000 patients in partnership with Japan Tobacco Inc…more

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Presentation skills – Your employees need training on more effective presenting. Impactiviti’s vendor/partners have just what you need.  Contact us (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for recommendations.

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Being purpose-full. Can you state your purpose in one minute or less to that person in the mirror?

JUST FOR FUN

25+ Amazing Cappuccino Artworks. Amazing is the right term here – wow! How could you bring yourself to drink one of these??

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Impactiviti Daily 012710

TODAY’S NEWS

Merck losing Temodar patent battle with Teva – A federal court judge ruled Tuesday that a patent for Merck & Co. Inc.‘s Temodar is unenforceable, allowing Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. to sell a generic version of the chemotherapy drug. Israel-based Teva, the world’s largest generic drug maker, is seeking FDA approval to sell a generic version of six doses of the treatment approved for adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme and for refractory anaplastic astrocytoma, two forms of brain cancer…more

Competition among diabetes franchises. Will competitors make hay over the black box cancer warning on Novo‘s Victoza?

Hey, clinical investigator – no pre-approval promotion (says FDA). What do you think? I agree with the judgment – who’s going to make the call about someone’s “sincerity”?

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PLUS

If you ever need the stats – Internet 2009 by the numbers. Useful data for presentations.

JUST FOR FUN

Steve Jobs abandons the idea of tablet, instead to announce new iPants product (spoof)

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Impactiviti Daily 010810

What is Impactiviti? In short, we’re a pharma network and consultancy. We help pharma/biotech/med device clients find optimal vendor/partners for training and social media needs. If you need advice and want to tap into our extensive network of best-in-class providers (the vendor matchmaking service is free to clients), contact us!

TODAY’S NEWS

Glaxo getting into the movie-making business? This film sounds gastronomic!

Diabetes and donuts. Well, donut holes.

Teva looking to supersize by 2015.

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Selling to the C-Suite. For certain high-level salespeople – in pharma or outside of that vertical – there is an art form to selling higher. Our provider network can help design a program for you. Contact us (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for recommendations.

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A free e-book for pharma marketers – how to approach the on-line world of patient advocacy, communities, and social media. Written by multiple experienced folks in the field (yes, even I contributed a chapter.

JUST FOR FUN

Two minutes of high-flying post-Christmas fun (video).

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Impactiviti Daily 082809

TODAY’S NEWS

Takeda to move forward with new alogliptin study – Takeda Pharmaceutical Co says it is all set to start an additional clinical trial demanded by US regulators on alogliptin, its investigational type 2 diabetes drug. The Japanese drugmaker noted that the US Food and Drug Administration has agreed to the study design for a cardiovascular outcomes trial, titled EXAMINE for alogliptin, a selective dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor (DPP-4) inhibitor also known as SYR-322. The study will involve 5,400 type 2 diabetes patients at around 1,000 facilities in the USA, Europe and Asia…more

Genzyme leukemia drug study: hard to interpret – “The lack of a randomized study combined with the heterogeneous patient population regarding AML prognostic factors makes interpretation of the study results difficult.” Food and Drug Administration staff said in an analysis prepared for the panel, which meets Tuesday…more

Smoker’s lung treatment: coming soon from Forest and Nycomed? – An experimental once-daily tablet from Nycomed and Forest Laboratories improves lung function in people with “smoker’s lung” and may be a useful add-on to conventional inhaled drugs, experts said on Friday. Privately owned Swiss drugmaker Nycomed, which is working towards a multibillion-dollar flotation, hopes Daxas will reach the market in 2010 and believes it has blockbuster potential…more

Pharmas that got hurt by debt shenanigans, including BMS and Teva. And, a rash of drug heists.

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Social Media monitoring. It’s one thing to launch a social media app. It’s another to actively monitor comments, discussions, and manage forums. If you’re looking at this need, the Impactiviti Partner Network can help. Contact us (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for information and recommendations!

PLUS

Younger folks just don’t want to take their cholesterol meds.

JUST FOR FUN

A Danger sign you don’t want to see…
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Impactiviti Daily 082409

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TODAY’S NEWS

P&G’s drug unit to be snapped up, by… – Warner Chilcott Ltd, a specialty drug maker, is acquiring Procter & Gamble Co‘s prescription drug business for about $3 billion, two sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday…more

FDA approves infantile spasm drug (from Lundbeck) – The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first drug for treating infantile spasms, a rare and devastating disease that wracks infants with hundreds of spasms every day, interferes with neurological development and kills as many as 20% of victims…more

J&J‘s experimental anti-epilepsy drug – FDA says, no thanks.

From the rumor mill – Teva eyeing Shire?

RECOMMENDED

Training Strategy – One of the areas for which I provide “traditional” consulting is training strategy – working with you to look at the big picture and develop comprehensive blueprints for more effective training. I can also work with your department on RFP development, technology platforms, vendor selection and management strategies, and project management processes. Contact me (stevew at impactiviti dot com, or phone at 973-947-7429) for more information!

PLUS

Some great thoughts on Leading, from Seth Godin’s blog.

JUST FOR FUN

Erupting volcanoes on Earth, as seen from space. Very cool.

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Today’s Top Three in Pharma 042309

FDA extends review of AstraZeneca/BMS experimental diabetes drug Onglyza.

Teva blocked from launching generic form of Lilly‘s Evista; also rumored to be eyeballing a purchase of Watson.

Roche/Genentech‘s Avastin misses the mark in colon cancer study.

PLUS – you want pharma growth? Sanofi says, Go East! (I know another big pharma also ramping up very rapidly in China…)

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Today’s Top Three in Pharma 030409

Teva‘s Copaxone approved for preventative treament of MS – The drug is already approved to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, where new symptoms occur suddenly or older symptoms become worse. The expanded approval allows for the drug’s use in people who have experienced a first episode of multiple sclerosis and have magnetic resonance imaging results consistent with the condition.

Pfizer and Bausch & Lomb in co-promote agreement for eyecare products – Pfizer Inc and Bausch & Lomb announced today a co-promotion agreement involving both companies’ prescription ophthalmic pharmaceuticals in the United States. The agreement will allow both companies to greatly increase the level of eye care industry support for these important medications that treat serious ophthalmic conditions.

Vertex makes a strategic acquisition to boost pipeline. And, Bristol does some shuffling at the top.

PLUS – life after pharmaceutical sales. Dog washing. Endurance Sports. I’m betting that there are a lot more entrepreneurs among those downsized from pharma…

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Today’s Top Three in Pharma 021909

Teva aggressively seeking to “genericize” Merck‘s Singulair, Amgen‘s Neupogen.

Warren Buffet pulling back from pharma investments that contain 2 letters (P&G, J&J).

GSK‘s nausea drug Zofran may help with drug withdrawal symptoms – GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Zofran, approved to treat nausea and vomiting, appears to reduce symptoms of withdrawal from morphine, codeine, heroin, OxyContin and similar pain medicines, a study shows. The drug, which is now available as a generic called ondansetron, was used to treat eight men for morphine withdrawal, according to a study in the Journal of Pharmacogenetics and Genomics. Compared with placebo, the patients receiving ondansetron were less likely to experience anxiety, hot flashes, aches, restlessness, nausea and vomiting.

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