Janssen, a pharmaceutical related to Johnson & Johnson that concentrates solely on mental health, recently received good news. Its drug, INVEGA SUSTENNA, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat schizophrenia.
INVEGA SUSTENNA is an injectable drug that needs to be used just once per month. While it isn’t being billed as a schizophrenia cure, it has been cleared to manage symptoms and reduce the risk of relapse.
Henry A. Nasrallah, M.D., a doctor who on hand during the clinical trials of INVEGA SUSTENNA, believes the fact that the drug only needs to be taken once per month …read more

Those who suffer from lupus, an autoimmune disease notorious for being nearly untreatable, may soon enjoy much-needed relief thanks to Human Genome Sciences. According to results from company research, an experimental drug called Benlysta has proven to be much more effective than traditional lupus treatment, significantly reducing lupus symptoms.
 
The lupus community has not had many glimmers of hope in recent years, as every company that has devoted itself to researching lupus treatments has failed to discover any significant breakthroughs. Human Genome Sciences’ discovery brings a much-needed ray of hope to the lupus community, even though the results have yet to …read more

Johnson & Johnson has decided to invest up to $1.5 billion in Irish Elan Corp., marking a costly move into the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Elan is a biopharmaceutical company that has performed significant research on drugs that could stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and on a vaccine that would eliminate the disease completely.
 
The investment sent Elan’s shares up 8.6 percent, from $7.00 to $7.60. On the other hand, Johnson & Johnson’s stock fell 1.9 percent to $55.98 per share. This move will make the latter company an extremely important factor in the market of Alzheimer’s …read more

All too often, big business wins out over the interests of the little guy or vice versa. However, the FDA approval of AMAG Pharmaceutical Inc’s Feraheme, an anemia medicine taking by injection, has proven to be beneficial to both parties. Shares of AMAG, a relatively small business, are up 5 percent, while anemia sufferers now have a new, more convenient drug available.
 
Feraheme has specifically been approved for adults as part of an iron replacement treatment for those afflicted with kidney disease. According to the company, chronic kidney disease suffers at every level of severity will have what is effectively a …read more

Having the U.S. Food and Drug Administration raid your pharmaceutical company and seize over thirty types of drugs seems like genuine cause for concern, but Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. has expressed optimism instead. According to the generic drug producer, the third-party drugs that the government did not seize will generate enough profit for the company to stay afloat.
 
The FDA initiated the raid because it found that Caraco had been putting drugs with a variety of defects on the market. Although the company makes several popular medications and consumers may not even be aware if the medicine they take was made …read more

It is already the world’s biggest pharmaceuticals company, but Pfizer is planning several key acquisitions in the Middle East that would allow it to further expand its hold in the global pharmaceutical industry. According to the company itself, the region is perfect for such a venture, and a senior executive in the company predicts “double-digit growth” in the years to come.
 
This move symbolizes the growing trend among drug companies to expand into emerging countries across the world as areas like North America and Europe begin to feature declining sales. Pfizer, specifically, plans to add $3 billion to its revenue by …read more

On Monday it was revealed that Merck & Co.,  Inc. is set to acquire Schering-Plough Corporation for $41.1 billion. The deal will unite the makers of the cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin.
Merck and Schering-Plough both cut a large number of jobs last fall and this deal would eliminate even more employees. It is said about 15% of their combined workforce would be eliminated with the deal. Most of the job cuts would happen outside of the U.S., however.
Just two weeks ago it was announced that two other large pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and Wyeth, are also involved in a major deal. …read more

CIO magazine seems to think that comparing TCO (total cost of ownership) and ROI measures reflects on the maturity of a company:
“When you think TCO you don’t see IT as a business driver or an asset that can increase revenue, profit or customer value,” says Anthony Giannino, a consultant at Cornerstone Solutions , a value-added reseller in Chicago. Giannino was CIO at pharmaceutical distributor Alliance Wholesale from 2002 to 2007.
TCO seems to be a way to compare alternative technology projects whose scope is the same. I heard a lot of this in the selling of hardware because the comparisons of …read more