Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - (Page 4) News UK slaps Roche’s wrists for child compliance voucher scheme Roche has been rebuked by UK’s Prescriptions Medicines Code of Practice Authority for offering £10 (€11.40) gift vouchers to children as an incentive to take its inhaled medicine, Pulmozyme. According to a report in the UK Financial Times, the Authority ruled that Roche had “brought discredit” on the industry for a serious breach of its ethical rules of conduct. Between 2004 and 2007, the company gave gift vouchers for use in stores such as Toys R Us and Tesco to children and teenagers prescribed Pulmozyme, which treats lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Children received one voucher for every 30 caps of Pulmozyme they sent back. Roche decided to stop the incentive in September 2007, but was apparently unaware that the agency contracted to run the voucher scheme was continuing to do so. The matter was brought to light by a whistleblower who claimed that the company was “effectively paying children to continue with a prescriptiononly medicine” and that the scheme could threaten children’s safety by persuading them to keep taking the medicine despite side-effects. Roche accepted the ruling, but argued the benefits in promoting compliance outweighed any adverse consequences for public health. For more on these news stories and all the latest breaking pharma news, look at our website www.pharmexeceurope.com Calling UK healthcare entrepreneurs The UK Yorkshire and Humber region has accounted for nearly 10% of all first round investments in to healthcare technology companies in the UK over the last two years, new research has revealed. The figures were revealed at the launch of a new three-year Access to Finance programme for healthcare technology companies in the region. The £1.8 million programme forms part of Yorkshire Forward’s ongoing strategy to support the development of the healthcare technologies industry in Yorkshire and Humber. Up to 300 businesses are eligible to benefit from the programme which will provide the knowledge, advice, tools and resources needed to access equity funding from national and international investors. The programme will provide a pipeline of attractive prospective investments between £50,000 and £5m. The new programme will be delivered by Grant Thornton, BITECIC and The team behind the new Access to Finance programme, from left, Kevin Downes of BITECIC, Matthew Chapman of Quotec Ltd, Phil Whaley of Grant Thornton and Alex McWhirter of Yorkshire Forward. NICE and GSK bigwigs to meet The chairman of the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the vice president of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are set to go head-to-head at this year’s Bupa Health Debate. They will be joined by the HIV policy adviser to Oxfam and a leading academic from Yale University to discuss the contentious issue of drug pricing. The debate will take place at 11:30 am GMT, 25 March 2009. To watch it for free online, visit: www.bupa.com/healthdebate Quotec, and information can be accessed via www.investinginhealth. co.uk. The programme is open to all Yorkshire and Humber based SME companies and entrepreneurs in the healthcare technology sectors – pharmaceutical, medical device, nutraceutical and medical biotechnology. 1 11 NEWS BRUSSELS REPORT 2 FROM THE EDITOR / NEWS 6 TWITTER 9 GENERICS 13 CALENDAR 14 ON THE MOVE CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO PHARM EXEC http://www.pharmexeceurope.com http://www.roche.com http://www.investinginhealth.co.uk http://www.investinginhealth.co.uk http://www.bupa.com/healthdebate http://www.pharmexeceurope.com/europharmexec/newsletter/subscribeNewsletter.jsp
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 Contents From the Editor Social Media Generics Brussels Report Calendar On the Move Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Social Media (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Social Media (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Social Media (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Generics (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Generics (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Brussels Report (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Brussels Report (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - Calendar (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - March 11, 2009 - On the Move (Page 14)
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