Market Place
Acquisitions and spin-offs dominated headlines in 2019 and the tone was set very early with Bristol-Myers Squibb acquiring
New Jersey-based cancer drug company Celgene in a US$ 74 billion deal announced on
January 3, 2019. After factoring
in debt, the deal value ballooned to about US$ 95 billion, which according
to data compiled by Refinitiv, made it the largest healthcare deal on
record.
In the summer, AbbVie Inc,
which sells the world’s best-selling drug Humira, announced its acquisition of Allergan Plc, known for Botox and other cosmetic
treatments, for US$ 63 billion. While the companies are still awaiting
regulatory approval for their deal, with US$ 49 billion in combined 2019
revenues, the merged entity would rank amongst the biggest in the industry.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
The big five by pharmaceutical sales — Pfizer,
Roche, J&J, Novartis and Merck
Pfizer
continued
to lead companies by pharmaceutical sales by reporting annual 2019 revenues of
US$ 51.8 billion, a decrease of US$ 1.9 billion, or 4 percent, compared to
2018. The decline was primarily attributed to the loss of exclusivity of Lyrica in 2019,
which witnessed its sales drop from US$ 5 billion in 2018 to US$ 3.3 billion in
2019.
In 2018, Pfizer’s then incoming CEO Albert Bourla had mentioned that the company did not see the need for any large-scale M&A activity as Pfizer had “the best pipeline” in its history, which needed the company to focus on deploying its capital to keep its pipeline flowing and execute on its drug launches.
Bourla stayed true to his word and barring the acquisition of Array Biopharma for US$ 11.4 billion and a spin-off to merge Upjohn, Pfizer’s off-patent branded and generic established medicines business with
Mylan, there weren’t any other big ticket deals which were announced.
The
Upjohn-Mylan merged entity will be called Viatris and is expected to have 2020
revenues between US$ 19 and US$ 20 billion
and could outpace Teva to
become the largest generic company in the world, in term of revenues.
Novartis, which had
followed Pfizer with the second largest revenues in the pharmaceutical industry
in 2018, reported its first full year earnings after spinning off its Alcon eye
care devices business division that
had US$ 7.15 billion in 2018 sales.
In 2019,
Novartis slipped two spots in the ranking after reporting total sales of US$
47.4 billion and its CEO Vas Narasimhan continued his deal-making spree by buying New
Jersey-headquartered The Medicines Company (MedCo) for US$ 9.7
billion to acquire a late-stage cholesterol-lowering
therapy named inclisiran.
As Takeda Pharmaceutical Co was
busy in 2019 on working to reduce its debt burden incurred due to its US$ 62
billion purchase of Shire Plc, which was announced in 2018, Novartis also purchased
the eye-disease medicine, Xiidra, from the Japanese drugmaker for US$ 5.3 billion.
Novartis’ management also spent a considerable part of 2019 dealing with data-integrity concerns which emerged from its 2018 buyout of AveXis, the
gene-therapy maker Novartis had acquired for US$ 8.7 billion.
The deal gave Novartis rights to Zolgensma,
a novel treatment intended for children less than two years of age with the
most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Priced at US$ 2.1 million,
Zolgensma is currently the world’s most expensive drug.
However,
in a shocking announcement, a month after approving the drug, the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release on
data accuracy issues as the agency was informed by AveXis that
its personnel had manipulated data which
the FDA used to evaluate product comparability and nonclinical (animal)
pharmacology as part of the biologics license application (BLA), which was
submitted and reviewed by the FDA.
With US$
50.0 billion (CHF 48.5 billion) in annual pharmaceutical sales, Swiss drugmaker
Roche came in at number two position in 2019
as its sales grew 11 percent driven by
its multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, haemophilia drug Hemlibra and cancer medicines Tecentriq and Perjeta.
Roche’s newly introduced medicines generated US$ 5.53 billion (CHF 5.4 billion) in growth, helping offset the impact of the competition from biosimilars for its three best-selling drugs MabThera/Rituxan, Herceptin and Avastin.
In late 2019, after months of increased
antitrust scrutiny, Roche completed
its US$ 5.1 billion acquisition of Spark Therapeutics to strengthen its presence in
gene therapy.
Last year, J&J reported almost flat worldwide sales of US$ 82.1 billion. J&J’s pharmaceutical division generated US$ 42.20 billion and its medical devices and consumer health divisions brought in US$ 25.96 billion and US$ 13.89 billion respectively.
Since J&J’s consumer health division sells analgesics, digestive health along with beauty and oral care products, the US$ 5.43 billion in consumer health sales from over-the-counter drugs and women’s health products was only used in our assessment of J&J’s total pharmaceutical revenues. With combined pharmaceutical sales of US$ 47.63 billion, J&J made it to number three on our list.
While the sales of products like Stelara, Darzalex, Imbruvica, Invega Sustenna drove J&J’s pharmaceutical business to grow by 4 percent over 2018, the firm had to contend with generic competition against key revenue contributors Remicade and Zytiga.
US-headquartered Merck, which is known as
MSD (short for Merck Sharp & Dohme) outside the United States and
Canada, is set to significantly move up the rankings next year fueled by its
cancer drug Keytruda, which witnessed a 55
percent increase in sales to US$ 11.1 billion.
Merck reported total revenues of US$ 41.75 billion and also
announced it will spin off its women’s health drugs,
biosimilar drugs and older products to create a new pharmaceutical
company with US$ 6.5 billion in annual revenues.
The firm had anticipated 2020 sales between US$ 48.8 billion and US$ 50.3 billion however this week it announced that the coronavirus pandemic will reduce 2020 sales by more than $2 billion.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Humira holds on to remain world’s best-selling drug
AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan comes as the firm faces the expiration of patent protection for Humira, which brought in a staggering US$ 19.2 billion in sales last year for
the company. AbbVie has failed to successfully acquire or develop a major new
product to replace the sales generated by its flagship drug.
In 2019, Humira’s US revenues increased 8.6 percent to US$ 14.86 billion while internationally, due
to biosimilar competition, the sales dropped 31.1 percent to US$ 4.30 billion.
Bristol Myers Squibb’s Eliquis, which is also marketed by Pfizer, maintained its number two position
and posted total sales of US$ 12.1 billion, a 23 percent increase over 2018.
While Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy treatment Opdivo, sold in partnership with Ono in Japan, saw sales increase from US$ 7.57 billion to US$ 8.0 billion, the growth paled in comparison to the US$ 3.9
billion revenue increase of Opdivo’s key immunotherapy competitor Merck’s Keytruda.
Keytruda took the number three spot in drug sales that
previously belonged to Celgene’s Revlimid, which witnessed a sales decline from US$ 9.69 billion to US$ 9.4 billion.
Cancer treatment Imbruvica, which is marketed
by J&J and AbbVie, witnessed a 30 percent increase in sales. With US$ 8.1
billion in 2019 revenues, it took the number five position.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Vaccines – Covid-19 turns competitors into partners
This year has been dominated by the single biggest health emergency in years — the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. As drugs continue to fail to meet expectations, vaccine development has received a lot of attention.
GSK reported the highest vaccine sales of all drugmakers with
total sales of US$ 8.4 billion (GBP 7.16 billion), a significant portion of its
total sales of US$ 41.8 billion (GBP 33.754 billion).
US-based Merck’s vaccine division also reported a significant increase in sales to US$ 8.0 billion and in 2019 received FDA and EU approval to market its Ebola vaccine Ervebo.
This is the first FDA-authorized vaccine against the deadly virus which causes
hemorrhagic fever and spreads from person to person through direct contact with
body fluids.
Pfizer and Sanofi also reported an increase in their vaccine sales to US$ 6.4
billion and US$ 6.2 billion respectively and the Covid-19 pandemic has recently
pushed drugmakers to move faster than ever before and has also converted
competitors into partners.
In a rare move, drug behemoths — Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) —joined hands to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.
The two companies plan to start human trials
in the second half of this year, and if things go right, they will file
for potential approvals by the second half of 2021.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Our view
Covid-19 has brought the world economy to a grinding halt and shifted the global attention to the pharmaceutical industry’s capability to deliver solutions to address this pandemic.
Our compilation shows that vaccines and drugs
for infectious diseases currently form a tiny fraction of the total sales of
pharmaceutical companies and few drugs against infectious diseases rank high on
the sales list.
This could well explain the limited range of
options currently available to fight Covid-19. With the pandemic currently infecting
over 3 million people spread across more than 200 countries, we can safely
conclude that the scenario in 2020 will change substantially. And so should our
compilation of top drugs for the year.
View Our Interactive Dashboard on Top drugs by sales in 2019 (Free Excel Available)
Impressions: 54752
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/top-drugs-and-pharmaceutical-companies-of-2019-by-revenues
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
29 Apr 2020
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This week, PharmaCompass
reviews the recently released data on prescription drugs paid for under the
Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program in the United States in calendar year
2016.
But first, let’s understand what is Medicare.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program in the US. In 2017, it covered 58.4 million people — 49.5 million aged 65 and older, and 8.9 million disabled.
Prescription drug coverage under this
program was started in 2006, and is known as Medicare Part D.
As part of this
coverage, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts insurance
companies and other private companies, known as plan sponsors, that offer
prescription drug plans to their beneficiaries with varying drug coverage and
cost-sharing requirements.
In
2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had estimated that spending on
Medicare Part D would reach US$ 94 billion, or about 16 percent of all Medicare
expenditures for the year.
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
According
to the CBO, Medicare Part D is the most significant expansion of the Medicare
program since it was created by Congress in 1965.
With
more than 1.48 billion claims from beneficiaries enrolled under the Part D
prescription drug benefit program under its umbrella, our analysis of Medicare
Part D provides valuable insights into how elderly Americans use prescription
drugs.
Top 10 drugs by
cost: The ones that bore the highest cost burden for Medicare
As in 2015, in 2016
too Gilead’s Hepatitis C treatment — Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir (Harvoni) — remained the single drug highest payout under the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program with a total cost of US$ 4.4 billion.
As Gilead continued
to face competition from AbbVie and Merck in the Hepatitis C space, the spending on Harvoni was down
37 percent from US$ 7.03 billion in 2015.
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
Celgene’s cancer treatment, Lenalidomide (Revlimid), Sanofi and Merck’s diabetes treatments and AstraZeneca’s Crestor (Rosuvastatin Calcium) for
cholesterol followed Harvoni. All together, they cost the Medicare program over US$ 10 billion.
Generic Name
Number of Medicare Part D Claims
Number of Medicare Beneficiaries
Number of Prescribers
Aggregate Cost Paid for Part D
Claims (In USD)
LEDIPASVIR/ SOFOSBUVIR (HARVONI)
141,665
52,782
12,097
4,398,534,465
LENALIDOMIDE
239,049
35,368
10,382
2,661,106,127
LANTUS SOLOSTAR (INSULIN
GLARGINE, HUM.REC.ANLOG )
5,028,485
1,075,248
245,447
2,526,048,766
SITAGLIPTIN PHOSPHATE
4,742,505
864,442
206,223
2,440,013,513
ROSUVASTATIN CALCIUM
6,012,444
1,560,050
249,981
2,322,724,007
FLUTICASONE/SALMETEROL
5,194,391
1,196,007
275,442
2,319,808,482
PREGABALIN
4,940,115
852,497
267,532
2,098,953,250
RIVAROXABAN
4,403,332
807,820
252,141
1,954,748,890
APIXABAN
4,455,782
826,969
231,631
1,926,107,484
TIOTROPIUM BROMIDE
4,153,162
903,494
235,564
1,818,857,361
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
Top 10 drugs by claims: The most commonly
used drugs of 2016
With 46.6 million claims, the thyroid hormone deficiency treatment — Levothyroxine Sodium — retained its position of being the most claimed product under Medicare’s Part D Prescription Drug Program in 2016.
The number of
Medicare Part D claims includes original prescriptions and refills.
Following Levothyroxine Sodium was the lipid-lowering agent — Atorvastatin Calcium — which had 44.5 million Medicare Part D claims that
were filed by almost 9.4 million beneficiaries.
Generic
Name
Number
of Prescribers
Number
of Medicare Part D Claims
Number
of Medicare Beneficiaries
LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM
669,999
46,617,109
8,091,785
ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM
494,973
44,595,686
9,435,633
AMLODIPINE BESYLATE
497,017
39,913,468
7,802,905
LISINOPRIL
490,452
39,469,840
8,009,954
OMEPRAZOLE
492,951
32,909,236
7,001,160
METFORMIN HCL
611,700
31,007,932
6,394,014
SIMVASTATIN
380,560
29,687,947
6,201,911
HYDROCODONE/ACETAMINOPHEN
660,617
28,595,150
7,265,882
FUROSEMIDE
488,352
27,878,243
5,421,598
GABAPENTIN
555,997
27,627,466
5,363,382
Click here
to access the compilation of Medicare Part D Prescriber Summary Report
Top 10 drugs by prescribers: Medicines that were most popular with
doctors
Among the prescribers, albuterol sulfate (salbutamol) and Diltiazem had
over 900,000 unique providers (or
doctors) prescribing the drug.
Albuterol (salbutamol) is
used to provide quick relief from wheezing and shortness
of breath while Diltiazem is used to prevent chest
pain (angina).
Also
on the list of popular drugs with prescribers is Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen.
With more doctors prescribing Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (an
opioid) than commonly used antibiotics, such as Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin and Amoxicillin, the
series of new FDA initiatives to combat the epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse
should change the position of opioids in the top 10 drugs by prescribers in the
coming years.
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
Generic
Name
Number of
Prescribers
Number of
Medicare Part D Claims
Number of
Medicare Beneficiaries
ALBUTEROL SULFATE
985,427
13,100,354
5,417,718
DILTIAZEM HCL
931,159
8,142,004
1,982,550
POTASSIUM CHLORIDE
879,491
18,945,969
4,278,000
PEN NEEDLE, DIABETIC
677,210
5,281,778
1,795,046
LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM
669,999
46,617,109
8,091,785
HYDROCODONE/ACETAMINOPHEN
660,617
28,595,150
7,265,882
METFORMIN HCL
611,700
31,007,932
6,394,014
CEPHALEXIN
597,647
5,603,879
3,933,373
CIPROFLOXACIN HCL
594,129
7,000,081
4,851,657
AZITHROMYCIN
591,028
7,958,625
5,734,122
What does the
future hold?
Although the Part D Prescriber PUF (public use file) has a wealth of information on payment and utilization for Medicare Part D prescriptions, the dataset has a number of limitations. Of particular importance is the fact that the data may not be representative of a physician’s entire practice or all of Medicare as it only includes information on beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program (i.e., approximately two-thirds of all Medicare beneficiaries).
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
Last
month, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
reviewed
the Part D claims data for the years 2011 to 2015 for brand-name drugs.
The OIG’s report found that the total reimbursement for all brand-name drugs in Part D increased 77 percent from 2011 to 2015, despite a 17-percent decrease in the number of prescriptions for these drugs.
With soaring drug prices being an issue for
regular debate in the Unites States and President Trump announcing that his
team will use strategies to strengthen the negotiating powers under
Medicare Part D and Part B, it remains to be seen how the data on prescription drugs paid for under
the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program will change in the coming years.
Click here to access the compilation of Medicare Part D
Prescriber Summary Report
Impressions: 2500
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/analyzing-over-us-90-billion-of-medicare-prescription-drug-part-d-spending-in-2016
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
05 Jul 2018
This week in Phispers, we tell you how Amsterdam became EU’s choice for hosting the EMA. As Biocon receives an inspection closure from the FDA for its Bengaluru sterile injectables facility, we analyze how news reports on Biocon and Mylan moving a step closure to getting an FDA nod for its Herceptin biosimilar could be misplaced. We also bring you news on the positive trials from Roche and the Skype ban in China. Meanwhile, Concordia got into yet another drug price hike controversy. This time for its thyroid drug — liothyronine.
Lucky draw gets Brexit-struck EMA a new home in Amsterdam
The biggest news from the world of pharmaceuticals this week
was the decision to relocate the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with nearly 900
employees, to Amsterdam (the Netherlands).
The relocation of EMA from London is a consequence of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. The agency was not involved in the selection of the new location.
Amsterdam was one of the 19 offers to host the
EMA submitted by the EU member states at the end of July 2017. The EMA now has
just over 16 months to prepare for the move and take up its operations in
Amsterdam by March 30, 2019.
“Amsterdam ticks many of our boxes,” Guido
Rasi,
executive director, EMA said. “It offers excellent connectivity and a building that can be shaped according to our needs,” Rasi added.
The decision was made by closed ballot votes from each EU member state held in Brussels this week. An EMA survey of its staff found most of them might quit if posted to the bloc’s poor eastern regions. The employees had rated Amsterdam, Barcelona and Vienna as the top choices, while Warsaw, Poland, Bucharest, Romania, and Sofia, Bulgaria were rated the lowest.
Milan, Amsterdam and Barcelona campaigned hard. But there was
a push from eastern states, as Slovak capital Bratislava turned out to
be a strong contender.
In the first round, Milan (with 25 votes), Copenhagen and
Amsterdam (with 20 votes each) advanced out. Bratislava had 15 votes and
Barcelona had 12 votes.
Milan (with 12 votes) and Amsterdam (with 9 votes) then
proceeded into the third round of voting.
In the final round of voting, Milan and Amsterdam both tied
with 13 votes each. The decision was taken through a draw of lots, that
Amsterdam won.
Biocon gets EIR for sterile injectables facility; FDA nod for its biosimilar still in question
India’s Biocon has received
an EIR (establishment inspection closure) for its sterile injectables facility,
inspected by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year.
However, contrary to what some recent news reports suggest, the company and its
partner Mylan are not a step
closer to getting an FDA nod for its biosimilar of Roche’s blockbuster cancer drug — Herceptin.
According to these reports, Biocon
and Mylan have resolved FDA concerns about its Bommasandra plant, setting it and Mylan up to potentially win FDA
approval for the first Herceptin biosimilar.
According to PharmaCompass’ analysis, there were two inspections at Biocon — the first one was for the biosimilars (during March 27 to April 7 this year); while the second one
was for their sterile injectables facility (during May 25 to June 3 this year).
Based on the dates shared in Biocon’s statement, the EIR is for the second inspection and there is no ‘exact’ news on the biosimilars inspection.
The location of both inspections is the same — Plot 2-4, Phase IV, in Bommasandra, Bengaluru. However,
there maybe different buildings within the campus that were inspected by the
FDA.
The same location in Bommasandra was also put on Health Canada’s Inspection Tracker list for data-integrity concerns found by a regulatory partner of Health Canada.
According to news reports, the FDA EIR to the sterile plant
comes less than two weeks before the December 3 date that the FDA has set for
considering approval of the Herceptin biosimilar. The original action date was
September 3, but the FDA delayed that for three months after seeking additional
information from Mylan and Biocon. However, in our view, the EIR and the
December 3 date have no correlation.
After
receiving the EIR, the FDA further indicated that Biocon needs to implement the CAPA (corrective
action and preventive action) plan and resubmit the updated details.
Meanwhile, Roche is using all its might to prevent its revenues from getting chewed away by cheaper biosimilars. This week,
Roche Holding sued Pfizer Inc to stop it
from selling a copy of Herceptin in the US.
Boehringer opens the door for crowdsourced research through opnMe.com
Germany’s Boehringer
Ingelheim has launched opnMe.com — a platform that offers free and open access to certain pre-clinical molecules and non-clinical investigation to scientists worldwide.
The opnMe.com
platform provides scientists with many best-in-class
molecules supported by comprehensive data packages on one centralized platform.
It also offers them direct access to molecules for independent research as well
as other molecules for partnering with Boehringer.
Through opnMe.com, molecules for some of the most relevant
targets in biomedical research would be shared. This, in turn, would create
possibilities for further independent and collaborative discovery as well as
the identification of novel treatment approaches for patients.
“Working together with scientists across the world, we can accelerate research in a wide range of biomedical research areas,” Clive R. Wood, PhD, senior corporate vice president, Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim, said.
This launch is part of the German research-based pharma company’s ongoing mission to further scientific research and medical progress through collaboration and innovation.
Roche’s shares surge after two trial wins of its potential blockbuster drugs
Roche, which has been plagued by shrinking revenues from its
older medicines, got a shot in the arm this week with two trial wins for its cancer (Tecentriq) and hemophilia (Hemlibra) drugs. The two
drugs are potential blockbusters.
Expectedly, Roche shares surged by 6.5 percent on Monday. This added more than US$ 12 billion to the company’s market capitalization.
With Tecentriq, in combination with Avastin
and chemotherapy, Roche has posted significant gains for progression-free survival
and risk of death for a segment of lung cancer patients. Hemophilia agent Hemlibra, on the other
hand, had reduced bleeds in a new group of patients.
Tecentriq and Hemlibra, along with Roche’s multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, are pillars of CEO Severin Schwan’s strategy that would offset the patent expiry of its top-selling drugs — Rituxan,
Avastin and Herceptin. Together, these three drugs account for US$ 20 billion
in annual sales.
Since lung cancer is the largest oncology market, Roche’s trial of Tecentriq, in combination with Avastin and chemo, has been closely observed. With this drug, Roche seeks to compete with rivals in cancer immunotherapy.
The mixture “provided a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction” in the risk of the disease worsening or death compared to Avastin plus chemotherapy in first-line treatment of advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Roche said.
Concordia’s thyroid drug caught in price hike controversy in the UK
Last month, PharmaCompass had reported on a popular thyroid drug levothyroxine receiving several complaints of severe side effects from patients in France. The drug works as a stand-in for the hormone thyroxine in patients suffering from hypothyroidism, a condition that affects the body’s metabolism.
And this week, Concordia Healthcare’s thyroid drug — liothyronine — got caught in a drug price
hike controversy. An antitrust probe in the UK into Concordia’s pricing for liothyronine has found that the drug is now 57 times more expensive than it was in 2006.
Both the thyroid drugs are different compounds — while liothyronine is the synthetic form of T3-triiodothyronine,
levothyroxine is the manufactured form of T4-thyroxin. Physicians
use liothyronine instead of or in addition to levothyroxine for
patients undergoing thyroid hormone withdrawal.
Concordia Healthcare has caught the ire of watchdogs even
earlier for hikes in their drug prices. This matter only adds to the ongoing
investigations.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently
levied its biggest fine ever against Pfizer and Flynn Pharma, for driving
up the price of an epilepsy drug. The fine is currently under appeal.
“Pharmaceutical companies which abuse their position and overcharge for drugs are forcing the NHS—and the UK taxpayer—to pay over the odds for important medical treatments,” CMA chief Andrea Coscelli said in a statement. “We allege that Concordia used its market dominance in the supply of liothyronine tablets to do exactly that.”
According to a statement provided to the Financial Times, Concordia said the pricing of liothyronine has been “conducted openly and transparently with the Department of Health in the UK over a period of 10 years.”
Drug industry in China hit by local law that pulls Skype out from app stores
Like several other industries, the pharmaceutical industry
relies heavily on Microsoft’s
Skype to communicate with its business partners. But this
telecommunications application can no longer be downloaded
in China, as Skype has been removed from both the Apple and Android app stores
there.
Apple said it is one of the several voice over internet
protocol (VoIP) apps which was found not to comply with the local law by the
Chinese government. Microsoft told the BBC that the app had been “temporarily removed” and the company was “working to reinstate the app as soon as possible”.
China has increased scrutiny of internet applications this year, ordering firms to remove hundreds of apps that allow users to communicate confidentially or get around China’s so-called ‘great firewall system of censorship’ to use overseas social media. According to Reuters, over the last two months, authorities have also periodically interrupted services of Facebook Inc’s encrypted messenger app WhatsApp.
Alphabet’s Google, Facebook and Twitter are unavailable to Chinese users.
According to news reports, downloaded Skype apps continue to operate. However, users will not be able to update them.
Impressions: 2265
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/amsterdam-to-host-ema-china-pulls-skype-out-of-app-stores
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
23 Nov 2017
This week, Phispers has news from across the world. While China is trying to speed up approval of drugs by accepting data from overseas trials, the US achieved record approval of generic drugs last fiscal. In India, pharma companies may face legal action for releasing effluents into a lake in Hyderabad that killed thousands of fish last week. In France, a reformulated thyroid pill from Merck led to severe side effects in patients. And, there was more bad news for Israel’s Teva as its competitors won approvals from regulators in the US and Europe to market cheaper versions of its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug — Copaxone.
Data-integrity uncovered in AstraZeneca’s US$ 4 billion Acerta buy
In
February 2016, pharma giant AstraZeneca had invested US$ 4
billion in acquiring 55 percent stake in Acerta Pharma — a biopharmaceutical company based in the Netherlands and the US. The acquisition provided AstraZeneca with a cancer drug under clinical trials — acalabrutinib.
An AstraZeneca press release issued at the time of acquisition had said: “Acalabrutinib is a highly selective, irreversible, second generation BTK inhibitor, with approximately 1,000 patients treated to date in clinical studies across the entire development programme.”
But
the acquisition brought some bad news for AstraZeneca last week, as a story published in Retraction
Watch said one of Acerta’s former researchers had falsified early data on acalabrutinib.
“The data, published as an abstract in August 2015 in the journal Cancer Research, reported a therapeutic benefit of acalabrutinib in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer,” the report said. The drug is now in human trials.
Additional
trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Blood in 2015 showed acalabrutinib had “promising safety and efficacy profiles in patients” with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
However,
investigation into the data underlying the 2015 abstract revealed some of it
was falsified. As a result, the journal retracted on the abstract.
Interestingly
a few weeks ago, acalabrutinib had won breakthrough
therapy status at the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) along with an
accelerated review plan for its first approval.
However,
all news was not bad news for AstraZeneca. Its innovative treatment for a type of lung cancer won “breakthrough” designation by the US FDA. The endorsement is for therapy Tagrisso for use in the US by
patients with previously-untreated non-small cell lung cancer and a genetic
mutation known as EFGR. This paves the way for fast-track approval of the drug.
Dead fish in Hyderabad leads to pharma majors being booked
for fouling lake water
Pharmaceutical companies in India — such as Hetero Pharma, Aurobindo Pharm, Mylan, SMS Pharma, Vantec and Sriram — that have their manufacturing facilities in Kazipally industrial area and Industrial Development Area (IDA) have been booked under a case for “fouling water of public spring or reservoir”.
This
happened last week after the Gandigudem lake, which is barely a few
meters away from Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR), reported hundreds of bloated, dead fish washed ashore after it rained heavily. The 266-acre lake is
situated near the IDA.
The
lake has been plagued with pollution for a while now. According to news reports, the Pollution
Control Board (PCB) had found traces of chloromethane, a solvent used in the
pharma industry, in the samples of the water and dead fish collected from the
lake. The diluted traces of the chemical in the lake confirm
contamination.
Officials
said that 230,000 fish had been washed ashore within a span of two days,
causing heavy loss to the fishermen dependent on the lake. According to an
official, the fish lost was worth US$ 230,038 (Rs 15 million)
These
companies have been booking under Section 277 (fouling water of
public spring or reservoir) and Section 278 (making atmosphere noxious to
health) of the Indian Penal Code.
A
video of a news report on the story can be viewed here.
China to accept data from overseas trials in order to speed up drug
approvals
China plans to speed up approval of drugs, and will accept data from overseas clinical trials in order
to facilitate that. The move could be a boon for international drugmakers as
well as for patients who often face lengthy delays for new medicines to reach
the market.
China has approved just over 100 innovative new drugs in the last 15 years — about a third of the drugs approved in the developed markets. This is the key reason behind the country taking this step to speed up drug approvals.
The move also seeks to address high medicine costs, and improve access to healthcare for China’s 1.4 billion population.
The
Chinese Cabinet will also look into improving the protection of medical
intellectual property and boost the number and quality of clinical trial
testing centers in China. However, the proposals contained no timeline for
implementation.
In
March this year, China had proposed ways to speed up approvals for
imported drugs, including reforming clinical trial requirements.
Merck’s French reformulation of most prescribed US drug leads to severe side effects
Popular thyroid drug Levothyroxine reportedly received many complaints of severe side effects from patients in France. The drug works as a stand-in for the hormone thyroxine in patients suffering from hypothyroidism, a condition that affects the body’s metabolism.
According
to a Reuters report, French police searched German drugmaker Merck KGaA’s plant in Lyon last week
as part of a probe into complaints by patients about changes to its thyroid
drug Levothyrox.
In
March this year, Merck had removed lactose from Levothyrox to make it easier to
tolerate and replaced it with citric acid and mannitol, a type of sugar
alcohol. The new formulation had been requested by the French medicines
regulator ANSM in 2012. According to patients, this resulted in severe side
effects such as memory loss, hair loss, weight gain and palpitations.
Around
3 million people in France, 80 percent of them women, use Levothyrox. According
to a Medscape article, levothyroxin is also the most prescribed drug in the US. The prescriptions for
Levothyroxine (in the US) stood at 112 million in 2012 and 123 million in 2016.
The drug was far ahead of the number two drug on the list (Lisinopril — with 99 million prescriptions in 2012 and 110 million in 2016).
Last
month, a prosecutor in Marseille had launched a probe into whether Merck had deceived patients with the change in the drug’s formula. Since then, Merck has restored the original drug to the market.
Teva fights to hold market share as competitors receive nod for
its blockbuster drug
Bad
news from Israeli generic drug giant Teva Pharmaceutical Industries doesn’t seem to relent. Last week, Teva was taken unawares when its competitors won approvals from regulators in the
US and Europe to market cheaper versions of its flagship Copaxone drug for multiple
sclerosis.
The launch of the competing products will result in “significant declines” in Teva’s largest product effective this year, Moody’s Investors service said in a note.
On
October 3, Mylan said it received approval from the US FDA for the marketing of generic versions of Teva’s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in 40 mg and 20 mg dosages. Mylan said it would
start shipping the generic version immediately.
According
to Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal, Mylan is serving up 25 to 30 percent discounts versus the “prevailing price” on Teva’s Copaxone and Teva is countering it, he added.
Analysts
had written off Mylan’s long-delayed generic Copaxone until next year. The
approval last week surprised analysts and investors.
Two
days later, Alvogen said it had received an
approval from European regulators to market the 40 mg dose of generic Copaxone
in Europe. Alvogen has been selling the 20 mg dose of the drug in Europe.
These approvals could mean a “downside” to both revenue and profit estimates for 2018, Citi’s Liav Abraham said.
Generic drug approvals in US hit all time high; Indian firms
corner large chunk
The US FDA
approved a record 763 generic drugs
in the US fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2017. Amongst these, Indian
companies accounted for nearly 40 percent of the approvals, a news report
published in the Mint said. The regulator also gave 174 tentative
approvals during 2016-17.
In comparison, the
US FDA had approved 651 generic drugs last year, the latest Activities Report
of the Generic Drug Program of the FDA said.
Indian companies received a total of 295 product approvals in 2016-17. Amongst them, “the pace of drug approvals was strong for Aurobindo Pharma, Cadila Healthcare and Lupin,” the Mint report added.
As per the FDA
report, total filings of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for generic
drugs with the US FDA rose to 1,292 in 2016-17 from 852 a year ago.
According to
analysts, the increasing number of product approvals and filings indicate an
increase in competitive intensity in the US, which is a major market for many
Indian drug companies. This would also result in more pressure on drug pricing.
Impressions: 3243
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/dead-fish-in-hyderabad-puts-pharma-majors-under-scrutiny-false-data-uncovered-in-astrazeneca-us-4-billion-buy
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
12 Oct 2017
In less than three weeks, Donald Trump will assume office as the
President of the United States. He has mentioned that he wants Medicare (a
national social insurance program) to directly negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs.
Medicare provides health insurance to Americans aged 65 or more, who
have worked and paid into the system through the payroll tax. It also provides
health insurance to younger people with some disabilities or end-stage renal
disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
In 2015, Medicare provided health insurance to over 55 million Americans — including 46 million people aged 65 or more, and nine million younger people.
As we flag off the New Year, PharmaCompass
provides insights into drug prices and prescription patterns in the US in order
to help professionals make informed decisions. We believe that the cost of
medicines in the US, which have been a subject of much public outcry and
discussions in the recent years, will continue to be scrutinized during 2017.
Medicare data for 2014
Medicare Part D, also known as the Medicare prescription drug benefit — the program which subsidizes the costs of prescription drugs and prescription drug insurance premiums for Medicare beneficiaries — published a data set (for calendar year 2014) which contains information from over one million healthcare providers
who collectively prescribed approximately US $121 billion worth of prescription
drugs paid for under this program.
For each prescriber and drug, the dataset
includes the total number of prescriptions that were dispensed (including
original prescriptions and any refills), and the total drug cost.
The total drug cost includes the ingredient cost of the medication, dispensing fees, sales tax, and any applicable administration fees. It’s based on the amounts paid by the Part D plan, the Medicare beneficiary, other government subsidies, and any other third-party payers (such as employers and liability insurers).
The total drug cost does not reflect any manufacturer rebates paid to Part D plan sponsors through direct and indirect remuneration or point-of sale rebates. In order to protect the beneficiary’s privacy, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not
include information in cases where 10 or fewer prescriptions were dispensed.
Top
Ten Drugs by Cost, 2014 [Most expensive for Medicare]
Drug Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Sofosbuvir
109,543
33,028
7,323
$3,106,589,192
Esomeprazole Magnesium
7,537,736
1,405,570
286,927
$2,660,052,054
Rosuvastatin Calcium
9,072,799
1,752,423
266,499
$2,543,475,142
Aripiprazole
2,963,457
405,048
130,933
$2,526,731,476
Fluticasone/Salmeterol
6,093,354
1,420,515
281,775
$2,276,060,161
Tiotropium Bromide
5,852,258
1,211,919
253,277
$2,158,219,163
Lantus
Solostar
(Insulin Glargine)
4,441,782
972,882
224,710
$2,016,728,436
Sitagliptin Phosphate
4,495,964
789,828
190,741
$1,775,094,282
Lantus
(Insulin Glargine)
4,284,173
787,077
223,502
$1,725,391,907
Lenalidomide
178,373
27,142
9,337
$1,671,610,362
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Top
Ten Drugs by Average Cost per Claim, 2014 [Most expensive drugs]
Drug Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Average Cost Per Claim
Adagen
13
$1,224,835
$94,218
Elaprase
100
$6,560,225
$65,602
Cinryze
1,820
194
196
$96,155,785
$52,833
Carbaglu
60
$2,901,115
$48,352
Naglazyme
129
$6,189,045
$47,977
Berinert
538
73
68
$25,685,311
$47,742
Firazyr
1,568
269
232
$70,948,143
$45,248
H.P. Acthar
9,611
2,932
1,621
$391,189,653
$40,702
Procysbi
314
41
47
$12,542,911
$39,946
Folotyn
15
$598,210
$39,881
Top
Ten Drugs by Claims, 2014 [Most Commonly Used by Patients]
Generic Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Lisinopril
38,278,860
7,454,940
464,747
$281,614,340
Levothyroxine Sodium
37,711,869
6,245,507
416,518
$631,855,415
Amlodipine Besylate
36,344,166
6,750,062
451,350
$303,779,661
Simvastatin
34,092,548
6,768,159
387,651
$346,677,118
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen
33,446,696
8,005,790
677,865
$676,296,988
Omeprazole
33,032,770
6,707,964
475,122
$529,050,385
Atorvastatin Calcium
32,603,055
6,740,061
419,327
$747,635,818
Furosemide
27,133,430
5,176,582
456,047
$135,710,772
Metformin HCl
23,475,787
4,509,978
364,273
$203,948,989
Gabapentin
22,143,641
4,298,609
486,754
$492,557,255
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Top
Ten Drugs by Prescribers, 2014 [Most Popular with Doctors]
Generic Name
Total Claim Count
Beneficiary Count
Prescriber Count
Total Drug Cost
Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen
33,446,696
8,005,790
677,865
$676,296,988
Ciprofloxacin HCl
7,253,018
4,926,835
568,201
$46,728,353
Amoxicillin
6,298,980
4,384,899
557,614
$31,193,739
Cephalexin
5,040,219
3,529,303
557,048
$36,987,401
Azithromycin
7,339,954
5,274,010
544,625
$70,699,119
Prednisone
11,032,986
4,505,821
536,108
$86,537,932
Tramadol HCl
14,250,227
4,272,724
515,816
$125,343,514
Sulfamethoxazole /Trimethoprim
4,833,758
3,090,944
500,790
$29,231,511
Gabapentin
22,143,641
4,298,609
486,754
$492,557,255
Amoxicillin/Potassium Clav
3,551,452
2,710,244
478,361
$61,713,432
The findings from CMS
data
The CY 2014 data represented a 17 percent
increase compared to the 2013 data set and a substantial part of the total estimated prescription drug spending (as estimated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, or ASPE) in the United States — at about US $ 457 billion in 2015, which was 16.7 percent of the overall personal healthcare services.
Of that US $ 457 billion, US $ 328 billion (71.9 percent) was for retail
drugs and US $ 128 billion (28.1 percent) was for non-retail drugs.
The drug pricing process in the US is complex and
reflects the influence of numerous factors, including manufacturer list prices,
confidential negotiated discounts and rebates, insurance plan benefit designs,
and patient choices.
An IMS study found that across 12 therapy classes widely used in Medicare Part D,
medicine costs to plans and patients in Medicare Part D are 35 percent below
list prices.
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
While the CMS does not
currently have an established formulary, Part D drug coverage excludes drugs
not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, those prescribed for off-label
use, drugs not available by prescription for
purchase in the US, and drugs for which payments would be available under Parts
A or B of Medicare.
Part D coverage
excludes drugs or classes of drugs excluded from Medicaid coverage,
such as:
Drugs used for anorexia, weight loss, or weight gain
Drugs used to promote fertility
Drugs used for erectile dysfunction
Drugs used for cosmetic purposes (hair growth, etc.)
Drugs used for the symptomatic relief of cough and colds
Prescription vitamins and mineral products, except prenatal vitamins and fluoride preparations
Drugs where the manufacturer requires (as a condition of sale) any associated tests or monitoring services to be purchased exclusively from that manufacturer or its designee
Our view
The Medicare program is designed such that the
federal government is not permitted to negotiate prices of drugs with the drug
companies, as federal agencies do under other programs.
For instance, the Department of Veterans Affairs — which is allowed to negotiate drug prices and establish a formulary — has been estimated to pay (on an average) between 40 to 58 percent less for drugs, as opposed to Medicare Part D.
If Trump administration kick starts direct
negotiations on Medicare drug prices with drug companies, 2017 will surely turn
out to be a year for the pharmaceutical industry to remember.
View the Medicare Part D National Prescriber Summary Report, Calendar Year 2014 (Excel version available) for FREE!
Impressions: 7923
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/drug-costs-and-prescription-trends-in-the-united-states-analyzing-medicare-s-121-billion-spend
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
05 Jan 2017
In August, when Fortune magazine
published its latest ranking of the fastest-growing companies in the US, topping the list wasn’t a ‘sexy Silicon Valley startup’, but a little known, 73-year-old Philadelphia-based generic drug-maker – Lannett Company Inc.Last
week, Lannett announced it would buy Kremers Urban
Pharmaceuticals Inc – the US generic business of Belgian drug-maker UCB SA – for US $ 1.23 billion.With
the growth demonstrated by Lannett, coupled with the combined revenues of more than US
$ 800 million for the 12 months ended June
30, 2015, the company seems to be on track to become the next
billion-dollar generic pharmaceutical company. However, back in 2002, Lannett’s sales were only US $ 25.1 million. This week, we focus on the secret recipe
that has driven Lannett’s business success. Focus on a few old
productsLannett’s net sales in 2014 were US $ 274 million, an increase of 81 percent over the previous year. However, unlike most companies that generate sales growth through global scale and multiple products, Lannett’s results are an outcome of their extremely strong focus on a few key products sold in the United States.Lannett’s top five products accounted
for 74 percent of the total 2014 sales and two products – Levothyroxine Sodium and Digoxin – generated combined sales of almost US $ 157 million in 2014 (higher than Lannett’s 2013 sales, which were US $ 151 million). Lannett’s two-trick ponyLevothyroxine Sodium tablets remain one of the most
prescribed drugs in the US and are used by patients of various ages and
demographic backgrounds for the treatment of thyroid deficiency. Although an
old drug, it is also a narrow therapeutic index drug that saw serious and continuing
recalls in the 1990s. In 1997, the FDA mandated New Drug Applications (NDA) for this previously ‘grandfathered’ drug (a drug approved before 1938). A year later,
Jerome Stevens
Pharmaceuticals (JSP) filed and received the first NDA approval
by the statutory deadline; beating out the innovators (Abbott Laboratories and King Pharmaceuticals).In 2004, Lannett entered into an agreement with JSP for the exclusive distribution rights of three
product lines in the United States, which included Digoxin and Levothyroxine
Sodium tablets.Today, Levothyroxine Sodium tablets are produced and marketed with 12 varying potencies and are the single-largest revenue contributor for
Lannett. The franchise still
enjoys limited
generic competition, witnesses
year-over-year growth in total prescriptions and most notably has “dollar sales” gains generated by improved product pricing.The
second-largest revenue contributor for Lannett is Digoxin, another drug used in
a narrow therapeutic index to treat
congestive heart failure in patients. Lannett held only 14 percent of
the market until a few years ago and the brand leader, with 61 percent market share was Mylan. The
production of Digoxin tablets was outsourced by Mylan to Amide, a company which ran into such severe product quality and cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) problems that Mylan not only had to recall their “obese” Digoxin tablets from the market but also had their market share completely wiped out. A few months later, Sun Pharmaceutical’s US subsidiary – Caraco – had a similar issue of obese tablets which made Lannett the undisputed market leader in this niche segment. Realizing substantial price hikesRecently,
Digoxin also witnessed a price increase by as
much as 884 percent from October 2012 to June 2014, which increased its contribution to US $ 54.7 million of Lannett’s total sales of US $ 274 million in 2014. Lannett’s ability to operate in niches where competition is limited and the realization of substantial price hikes possibly led to ‘interrogatories and subpoena from the State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General’ in July 2014, questioning the Digoxin price hikes. A firm commitment
to partnershipsPrice increases aside, Lannett’s growth has also been an outcome of a stable supply chain partnership with JSP, combined with a strong historical record of regulatory compliance. JSP has accounted for more than 60 percent of Lannett’s overall finished goods inventory purchases in the last few years.However, unlike others in the industry, who have reduced
their focus on manufacturing viewing it as a cost, rather than a value, Lannett
extended their original agreement with JSP. The agreement – scheduled to expire in 2014 – was renewed by not only giving written assurances of a minimum purchase commitment of US $ 31 million annually until 2019, but also issuing 1.5 million shares of Lannett common stock to JSP.“Our distribution agreement with JSP has been highly successful and mutually rewarding,” said
Arthur Bedrosian, Chief Executive Officer, at the time of the agreement
renewal. Lannett’s commitment to partnerships is also mentioned in its annual reports where it mentions partnerships with “Azad Pharma AG, Swiss Caps of Switzerland, Pharma 2B (formerly Pharmaseed), The GC
Group of Israel and HEC Pharm Group, as well as domestic companies, including JSP, Cerovene,
and Summit Bioscience LLC”. The joker in the packLannett’s ambitions to grow have been made clear, given that the Kremers Urban buyout was valued at almost five times Lannett’s current revenues. In addition, they beat out the China Grand group, India’s Cipla Ltd and several
other private-equity firms who were among the potential
bidders for Kremers Urban.Kremers Urban was almost sold late
last year
to private-equity firms Advent International and Avista Capital Partners for US $ 1.53 billion. The deal was called off when one of Kremers Urban’s main products – a generic version of the drug Concerta (methylphenidate hydrochloride) – underwent a change of classification at the FDA. Under the new
classification rating, its methylphenidate hydrochloride extended-release
tablets can be prescribed but may not be automatically substituted for Concerta
at pharmacy counters.Kremers Urban was
requested to provide additional information showing bio-equivalency to Concerta
for which the final results of new bioequivalence studies were submitted this
June. The contingency
payments in the Lannett deal are tied to the FDA restoring the rating and should this happen, the
landscape would once again be familiar territory for what Lannett has
experienced, and capitalized on previously with Levothyroxine and Digoxin! Our viewLannett has
grown using old-fashioned rules of doing business but also adapted to the evolving
environment. They focused
on essential products, obsessed over quality, treated their suppliers as
partners, while also ensuring that the company seizes maximum possible returns
out of an opportunity. Undoubtedly, there are several learnings in Lannett’s story for other pharma companies to emulate.
Impressions: 7593
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/how-little-known-lannett-may-soon-become-a-billion-dollar-generic-company
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
10 Sep 2015
It doesn’t help that the company, which calls
itself Merck in the United States isn’t allowed to do so in other parts of the
world, because the other Merck is called Merck. Confused? Well you
wouldn’t be the only one!
Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company, which has done business for almost 350 years. Since almost everybody in a chemistry lab has used a Merck product at some point of time, and now that Sigma Aldrich also belongs to Merck, we thought it would be worthwhile to create a simple comparison chart to better understand the two companies:
Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck KGaA
Website
www.merck.com
www.merckgroup.com
Logo
Headquarter
Kenilworth, New Jersey, United States
Darmstadt, Germany
Founded
1891, by George Merck, as an American
subsidiary of German Merck
1668, by Friedrich Jacob Merck
The Split
Owing to World War I, Merck &
Co. was expropriated by the U.S. government in 1917
Name in the US and Canada
Merck
EMD Millipore
(Emanuel Merck Darmstadt)
Name in the rest of the World
MSD,
Merck Sharp & Dohme or
MSD
Sharp & Dohme
Merck
Total Sales (2014)
$42 Billion
€11.5 Billion
Employees
70,000
39,000
Merger & Acquisitions
Sharp & Dohme, Inc.
Schering-Plough
Idenix Pharmaceuticals
Cubist Pharmaceuticals
OncoEthix
Medco Containment Services Inc.
Millipore Corporation
Serono SA
Sigma-Aldrich
AZ Electronic Materials SA
Major Products
Januvia®, Janumet®, Zetia®, Vytorin®, Gardasil®, Remicade®
Rebif®, Erbitux®, Gonal-f®, Concor®, Glucophage®, Euthyrox®
Recent facts of Confusion:
2011 German Merck KGaA used to have Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/merck, but one day found U.S. Merck & Co. there instead. As Merck KGaA had an agreement with Facebook, the matter reached the courts
. Eventually Facebook admitted their mistake and let the German
Merck resume its place at www.facebook.com/merck.
U.S. Merck & Co. now sits at http://www.facebook.com/MerckBeWell.
2014 Protestors from the
group STOPAIDS (a network working
on how to secure an effective global response to HIV and AIDS) reached the offices of Merck KGaA in London, when protesting Merck’s “campaign to delay South Africa’s proposal to allow low-cost copies of patented drugs.”
The only problem: the protestors were targeting U.S. based Merck & Co instead of German Merck…
2014 Bloomberg headline “Bayer to Buy Merck Consumer-Health Unit for $14.2 Billion” resulted in Merck KGaA issuing a same day clarification “Merck to Keep Consumer Health Business” since the Bloomberg article was referring to the U.S. Merck & Co!
2015 Even Merck KGaA CEO Karl-Ludwig Kley admits that his company bears some fault in allowing the situation to get to this point: “over many decades we underinvested in our brand,” he told the Financial
Times: “we need to make people more aware of the fact there are two Mercks.”
RadioCompass just thought it was
worth helping Mr Kley out with this complilation!
Impressions: 9771
https://www.pharmacompass.com/radio-compass-blog/merck-vs-merck-a-mercky-tale
#PharmaFlow by PHARMACOMPASS
13 May 2015
