Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - April 1, 2009 - (Page 2) From the Editor Think Best his week we feature an interview with Merck Serono’s Elmar Schnee, who talks (on page 3) about how things have evolved since the division was created by the high profile merger in 2006. Mr Schnee underlines that this was a merger of knowledge and not one of scale, like the ones we have recently seen; the current economic crisis is not something that’s going to send Merck Serono reaching for its cheque book in an indiscriminate acquisition spree. Schnee is concerned, he says, with being ‘Best Pharma’, not ‘Biggest Pharma.’ As we went to press, the company confirmed that it has set up a new strategic, corporate venture capital fund — Merck Serono Ventures — to invest in emerging biotechnology companies that have the potential to provide innovative products in Merck’s core therapeutic areas. Struggling biotechs may be currently fair game for companies with cash to splash about, but this approach seems to be in line with the company’s ‘best not biggest’ philosophy. As Vincent Aurentz, Merck Serono’s EVP of Portfolio Development said on the announcement of the scheme: “[it] underlines our commitment to be ‘Best For more on these news stories and all the latest breaking pharma news, look at our website www.pharmexeceurope.com T Partner’ for biotech entrepreneurs and their investors.” With an initial commitment to invest up to 40 million in the scheme during the next five years, it’s encouraging to see a company offering real, constructive support to ‘beleaguered biotech’. And with its plans to invest 350 million in a new plant at Corsier-sur-Vevey (Switzerland), it’s also refreshing to see a company focusing on innovation and expansion when so many are backing into a corner and doing the opposite. I’d like also to take this opportunity to point you to the first of this year’s Pharm Exec Europe digital supplements. Launch Excellence draws on IMS case studies of recent examples of launch excellence, and presents a detailed overview of the opportunities to grasp and the pitfalls to avoid as your company prepares to bring a product to market. Click here to download the supplement. EGA calls for urgent action on generic drug approvals The European Generics Association (EGA) has again stressed the “urgent need to optimise the regulatory system for approving generic medicines.” Speaking at the Drug Information Association (DIA) EuroMeeting in Berlin last week, Beata Stepniewska, EGA’s director of regulatory affairs, said: “The generic medicines industry is facing an emergency situation, with limited availability of registration slots to start the marketing authorisation procedure for its products.” This repeats a claim that was formally put to the European Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) in 2007. In 2008, EGA reports, the number of decisions for generic products (DCPs) significantly increased over the previous year, as four additional member states began acting as the Reference Member State (RMS). EGA has recently provided the HMA Task Force with DCP submissions in 2009/2010 to improve the planning process. However, the Association has advised that further HMA recommendations should not go in the direction of grouping applications according to active substance: “Such action would seriously undermine competition between generic companies, especially in their effort to be the first on the market after patent expiry.” Julian Upton jupton@advanstar.com 1 NEWS 2 11 FROM THE EDITOR / NEWS CALENDAR 3 MERCK SERONO 7 PHARMA’S GREAT HOPE 10 NEWS 12 LAST WORDS 13 ON THE MOVE http://www.pharmexeceurope.com http://www.egagenerics.com http://www.egagenerics.com http://www.diahome.org/DIAHome/ http://www.diahome.org/DIAHome/ http://www.diahome.org/DIAHome/ http://www.merckserono.com/en/partnering/venture_capital_fund/venture_capital_fund.html http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/advanstaruk/pee_digest_20090401_v2/
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