Welcome to the real world Matthew Gordon examines the differences between observational studies and phase III clinical trials(more)
Drug regulation: still room for improvement The Medicines Act is 40 years old this year, but regulations and regulators have to change to keep up with rapid changes in medicines and society, says Les Rose.(more)
New company to capitalise on industry M&A activity A new private European pharma company has been launched that will exploit products made available through the spate of industry mergers, acquisitions and corporate refocusing...(more)
Scientists race to identify and treat SARS Pharmaceutical companies, researchers and academic virologists around the world have joined the race to identify and ultimately develop vaccines to combat the rapidly spreading SARS virus...(more)
$180bn Pfizer moves into a league of its own The newly enlarged Pfizer has begun life bullishly with a 10% growth in revenues for the first quarter, and the unveiling of a new slogan: 'Beyond Number One..(more)
Hassan takes on Schering-Plough revival Fred Hassan has outlined his plans to turn round the fortunes of struggling Schering-Plough after being installed as the company new chief executive...(more)
Companies pay $344m fraud settlement GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer have agreed to pay $344 million to settle charges of defrauding the US Government healthcare system...(more)
Pension fund urges GSK to act on AIDS The world largest pension fund has urged GlaxoSmithKline to step up its efforts to help combat the AIDS pandemic in the developing world...(more)
Human genome sequence completed The project to decode the human genome has been completed two years ahead of schedule, but scientists have warned against premature hopes for medical breakthroughs...(more)
Patent system damaging research The UK patent system is damaging scientific research and creating a old rush mentality according to the Royal Society...(more)
Swiss franc undercuts Roche growth Sales revenues at Roche have been dealt a serious blow by currency fluctuations in the first quarter, with a strong Swiss franc undercutting sales growth of twice the industry average...(more)
Swiss franc undercuts Roche growth Sales revenues at Roche have been dealt a serious blow by currency fluctuations in the first quarter, with a strong Swiss franc undercutting sales growth of twice the industry average...(more)
Patent system damaging research The UK patent system is damaging scientific research and creating a old rush mentality according to the Royal Society...(more)
Human genome sequence completed The project to decode the human genome has been completed two years ahead of schedule, but scientists have warned against premature hopes for medical breakthroughs...(more)
OGS takeover battle nears conclusion The battle to buy Oxford GlycoSciences looks to be reaching a conclusion after almost half the company shareholders approved Celltech £101 million offer...(more)
Humira launch costs hit Abbott Abbott Labs recorded a 6% drop in profits for the first quarter of 2003 following heavy spending on the launch of its new arthritis drug Humira...(more)
New CHAI head quits The new head of the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection has resigned just weeks after being appointed, following a personality clash with the organisation chairman...(more)
Evans says no to OGS Biotech entrepreneur Sir Christopher Evans has decided against bidding for Oxford GlycoSciences, due to penalty clauses related to the company property...(more)
Set back for GSK in Augmentin court battle GlaxoSmithKline has suffered a set back in its bid to see off early US generic competition for antibiotic Augmentin, one of its biggest products...(more)
Ministers cleared of vaccine contract misconduct The National Audit Office has cleared ministers of any wrongdoing following accusations that the awarding of a smallpox vaccine to PowderJect resulted from donations to the Labour Party made by its Chief Executive in April 2002...(more)
Merlin on track to buy ReNeuron UK venture capital company Merlin Biosciences has made an offer to buy stem cell company ReNeuron for £3.6 million...(more)
Exanta promise for AstraZeneca AstraZeneca new anticoagulant Exanta has shown to be more effective than warfarin in preventing stroke in patients suffering from arrhythmia...(more)
Collaborations put SkyePharma in the black Drug delivery specialist SkyePharma has recorded its first full-year profit after a string of collaborations with pharma companies began to bear fruit in 2002...(more)
PFI hospitals failing, say unions Hospitals built under the private finance initiative are suffering from financial problems, bed shortages and poor design, according to a new report...(more)
OGS holding out for best bid Oxford GlycoSciences shareholders have knocked back Celltech £101 million takeover in expectation of larger bids from several potential buyers...(more)
NICE to review statins The cholesterol-lowering drugs statins, the single biggest area of NHS prescribing costs, are to have their cost and clinical effectiveness reviewed by NICE...(more)
On-line medical record template agreed Doctors have reached a decision on what information should be included in on-line medical records, moving them one step nearer to realisation...(more)
Investors demand action on access to medicines City institutions have come together to demand roactive actionfrom pharmaceutical companies in response to Africa AIDS epidemic and the developing world other public health crises...(more)
Effective prescribing pushed as spending rockets PCTs are being urged to implement controls and improve prescribing efficiency as new figures show primary care drug costs hit an all-time high of £5.5 billion in 2002...(more)
