Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - November 2008 - (Page 4)

News Round-up For more on these news stories and all the latest breaking pharma news, look at our website www.pharmexeceurope.com, which now features daily updates, interactive surveys and dedicated sections for your particular area of interest. Nearly half of all pharma companies lack a compliance department A study conducted by business intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information has discovered that only 59% of pharmaceutical companies have dedicated compliance departments. Monitoring and Ensuring Pharmaceutical Compliance stresses the need for compliance departments, as companies without are leaving themselves vulnerable to unforeseen regulatory changes, and errors made in compliance issues can have a devastating effect, both legally and in the eyes of stakeholders. Furthermore, the existence of these departments signals to regulatory bodies that a company is taking its responsibilities seriously. “New laws and regulations affecting pharma companies’ abilities to do business seem to be coming out more and more often,” remarked David Richardson, senior analyst for Cutting Edge Information. “There is no doubt in my mind that companies with dedicated compliance departments are better prepared to handle and adapt to these changes.” To download a free, online brochure of this report, please visit the Cutting Edge website: www.cuttingedgeinfo.com Want Accomplia? Fat chance! Sanofi aventis has temporarily suspended sales of the anti-obesity drug Acomplia in Europe, after health authorities warned that the drug’s risks outweighed its benefits. The decision follows a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), which said a study had revealed that obese or overweight patients taking Acomplia were at approximately double the risk of developing psychiatric disorders than those taking a placebo. The agency urged doctors to stop prescribing the drug and to review the treatment of patients already taking it. Acomplia had already been rejected by the US FDA after they reviewed studies that demonstrated risks of psychiatric problems, including depression, anxiety and stress disorders. Sanofi aventis has said that it will immediately start talks with non-EU countries where the drug is available to have sales suspended there as well. GSK to acquire Genelabs Technologies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to acquire Genelabs for $57 million through a tender offer of $1.30 per share in cash, a move that should strengthen GSK’s efforts to develop novel therapies against the hepatitis C virus. “Genelabs has demonstrated a strong track record in hepatitis C virus drug discovery and has identified numerous novel classes of inhibitors that target unprecedented mechanisms in the virus’s life cycle,” said Zhi Hong, SVP of the Infectious Diseases Centre for Excellence in Drug Discovery at GSK. “This arrangement, combined with out other collaborations, will give GSK a broad hepatitis C virus drug discovery platform addressing novel targets and innovative therapeutic approaches.” The board of directors at Genelabs has unanimously recommended that shareholders tender their shares in the offer and it is expected that the deal will be closed in December. Obese and overweight patients taking Accomplia are at risk, says EMEA. 7 Calendar December’s industry events 8 Reflector Parallel traders off the hook 9 Strategy Fundamentals Understanding Ansoff’s Matrix Peter Hince/Getty Images 11 BioFutures The state of biotech venture capitalism http://www.pharmexeceurope.com http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - November 2008

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - November 2008
Contents
From the Editor
News Round-Up
Calendar
Brussels Report
Using the Wooden Spoon
VC: Virtuous or Vampire Capital?
Is Pharma Recession-Proof?
Servier: Patience and Passion
Boost Your Brain Power
Innovation, Innovation, Innovation
Last Words

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - November 2008