http://mynews.mychinab2b.com Your Source for Latest B2B iNews Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:31:17 MDT en http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/pharma-china-orders-recall-of-drug-over-toxic-fears-1/ Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:31:17 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 2 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/pharma-china-orders-recall-of-drug-over-toxic-fears-1/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/food-safety-watchdogs-target-fake-drugs-and-tonics/ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:51:42 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/food-safety-watchdogs-target-fake-drugs-and-tonics/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/traditional-medicine-prices-are-elixir-for-sellers/ Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:51:07 MST admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/traditional-medicine-prices-are-elixir-for-sellers/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/economy-biopharmaceutical-firms-told-better-quality-control-holds-key-to-global-growth-in-china/
"Quality problems in food and pharmaceutical products will have a lethal effect on consumer confidence. The melamine-tainted milk scandal provided a negative example," Liu Zhanglin, deputy head of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, said at the Cross-Straits BioPharmaceutical Forum on Saturday.
]]> Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:49:21 MST admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/economy-biopharmaceutical-firms-told-better-quality-control-holds-key-to-global-growth-in-china/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/chinese-pharma-sales-to-boost-global-demand/
The 2011 projection compares with this year's 4 to 5 percent growth in drug sales to $840 billion, the research company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, said in a report released on Oct 7. Emerging markets including China and India are expected to expand by as much as 17 percent to $180 billion while growth in the United States market slows.

The world's largest market, the US, is growing at a historically low rate of 3 to 4 percent as patents expire on top-selling medicines and cheaper generic versions become available to consumers, said Murray Aitken, senior vice-president of IMS, in a telephone interview on Oct 6.

Drugs with sales of more than $30 billion are expected to lose patent protection next year, according to IMS.

"While the overall market will appear to rebound somewhat in 2011, the underlying constraints to growth in developed markets are stronger than ever," Aitken said. "Almost half of the global growth next year will come from China and the other emerging markets."

The five biggest European markets - Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom - will grow 1 to 3 percent as governments cut drug prices as part of efforts to restore fiscal balance, according to the IMS report. In the US, health plans will require pre-authorization for certain medications along with other measures intended to address rising health-care expenditures.

Generic copies will hit the market next year for Pfizer Inc's cholesterol pill Lipitor, the world's top-selling drug with sales of $11.4 billion in 2009. Generic versions of the second-best seller, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's blood thinner Plavix, will become available in the US in 2012. Together with Eli Lilly & Co's antipsychotic Zyprexa and Johnson & Johnson's antibiotic Levaquin - also expected to lose market exclusivity - the drugs account for 93 million prescriptions a year, IMS said.

Developing countries are expected to pick up the slack for the lost revenue. IMS said it expects drug spending in China to increase at least 25 percent next year as the middle class expands and the government invests in health care. Japan is the second-biggest pharmaceutical market after the US.

Another bright spot for the industry is the anticipated introduction of several new treatments for diseases including melanoma, hepatitis C and multiple sclerosis, the report said. IMS expects five products each potentially worth at least $1 billion in annual sales to be approved and launched by the end of next year.

These medicines could include AstraZeneca Plc's heart drug Brilinta, Bristol-Myers' apixaban for blood clots, Sanofi-Aventis SA's iniparib for breast cancer, the hepatitis C treatment telaprevir from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc and Bristol-Myers' ipilimumab for melanoma, Aitken said. ]]> Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:54:57 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/chinese-pharma-sales-to-boost-global-demand/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/superbug-under-microscope-shanghai-daily-%7C-%C3%A4%C2%B8%C5%A0%C3%A6%C2%B5%C2%B7%C3%A6%E2%80%94%C2%A5%C3%A6%C5%A0%C2%A5--1/
The bacteria, believed to have originated in India and which spread to other parts of the world after people traveled there for cheaper medical services, has so far infected 170 people and killed at least five patients in Britain.

The Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that the superbug hadn't been detected on the Chinese mainland.

The institute has set up a team of experts to study the new superbug.

"It is difficult to say when we will have any new discoveries or achievements since it is a new bacterium and the research on it is still at an early stage," said Li Jun, an institute official.

The superbug is in effect a new gene called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, which makes bacteria highly resistant to almost all antibiotics.

Local experts said bacteria resistance is inevitable, while the key is to reduce antibiotics abuse and enhance pharmaceutical research.

Dr Wang Zhen from Huashan Hospital's antibiotics institute and Shanghai bacteria resistance monitoring network, said good hospital management could reduce the spread of the superbug if it was found in China.

Hospitals are ideal breeding places for the superbug, especially intensive care units, because of the large dosage and frequent use of antibiotics.

Good hygiene practices in hospital and at home are effective in controlling and preventing the spread of the superbug, according to experts.
]]> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:46:04 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/superbug-under-microscope-shanghai-daily-%7C-%C3%A4%C2%B8%C5%A0%C3%A6%C2%B5%C2%B7%C3%A6%E2%80%94%C2%A5%C3%A6%C5%A0%C2%A5--1/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/charles-river-terminates-wuxi-pharmatech-buy/ Shareholder objection scuppered deal, says American company

American medical research equipment and services company Charles River Laboratories International Inc on Friday abandoned its $1.6 billion takeover of WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc, citing opposition from its shareholders to the deal.

New York-listed WuXi PharmaTech is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development (R&D) outsourcing company, with operations in China and the United States. In April this year Charles River said it intended to acquire WuXi.

Charles River had earlier said it will pay WuXi PharmaTech a $30 million break fee, in case the $21.25 per share cash-and-stock offer deal fails. The American company said its board approved a new $500 million share repurchase.

James C Foster, chairman of Charles River, said that the transaction would have resulted in long-term strategic benefits for its business and shareholders.

"But the company decided to proceed on the matter only after getting the requisite approval from the shareholders. Since they are not in favor of the deal, we have decided to terminate the transaction," said Foster.

Consequent to the deal termination, Charles River has also decided to cancel its planned shareholder meeting on Aug 5. The deal would have given Charles River drug-testing facilities in Shanghai, Suzhou and Tianjin.

Investment firm Jana Partners LLC, which owns a little more than 7 percent of Charles River's stock, had last month said the deal would generate highly inadequate returns for the company and also termed the acquisition price as too high.

The sale price of $21.25 per share is a 28 percent premium to WuXi's closing price on April 23, when the two companies announced the deal.

"WuXi will continue to grow and expand its business as a standalone research firm," said WuXi spokesperson Liu Jing.

James Song, a banker with investment banking department of Citic Securities said, "financial problems of the buyer is a major factor in the failure of a transaction."

Charles River shares have lost a fifth of their value since the deal was announced and fell by 5.8 percent or $1.95, to $31.95 on the New York Stock Exchange, its worst fall in three months.

According to IMS Health, an industry consulting firm, the pharmaceutical market in China increased by nearly 26 percent for the first six months this year. ]]> Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:40:14 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/charles-river-terminates-wuxi-pharmatech-buy/ http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/merck-begins-work-on-new-unit/
The 70,000 sq m manufacturing site in Hangzhou Economic and Technological Area has been set up with a total investment of 1.1 billion yuan and is one of the largest pharmaceutical packaging projects undertaken by Merck in recent times.

The unit is expected to start production by the first quarter of 2012 and will have an annual packaging capacity in excess of 300 million packs. By 2017, the annual output value of the facility may touch 10 billion yuan.

The unit will package solid dosage pharmaceuticals and sterile products for the China market and manufacture clinical/commercial supplies to support future new product introduction and launches. It will also provide strategic growth capabilities and innovative third-party logistics support.

MSD, a trademark of US-based Merck & Co Inc, has been expanding its investment in China since it entered the market in 1992.

"China has become one of Merck's most important strategic markets. The Hangzhou unit reflects the strong belief we have in further serving patients in the nation. We're also pleased that this investment will make a positive contribution to the healthcare system here," said Richard Clark, chairman and chief executive officer of Merck.

The global pharmaceutical sales growth is expected to grow 4 to 6 percent in 2010 to $825 billion, according to the forecast from IMS Health, an industry consulting firm. In China, pharmaceutical sales growth is expected to be more than 20 percent in 2010, and reach $73 billion in 2013, rising to the third in the world.

The nation is taking ambitious steps to extend basic healthcare coverage to a majority of its 1.3 billion people by 2011. That in turn, is sweet music to the expansion plans of global pharmaceutical companies.

The company also participated in the country's new round of healthcare reform and also lowered the price of its best selling cholesterol-cutter Zocor, by more than 50 percent. The price of a pack of seven tablets of 20 mg each was cut from 52.5 yuan to 25 yuan, five tablets of 40 mg each from 62.2 yuan to 30.7 yuan. ]]> Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:53:16 MDT admin Pharmaceutical 1 http://mynews.mychinab2b.com/Pharmaceutical/merck-begins-work-on-new-unit/