Dosage Forms

Patricia Van Arnum was executive editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Articles

Princeton, NJ (Feb. 15, 2007)-Ranbaxy Inc., confirmed that federal officials conducted a search of its New Jersey offices on Feb. 14, 2007 and commented on its reported plan to acquire Merck's generics business.

Ranbaxy Comments on Merck KGaA Generics Rumors, Confirms Federal Raid in NJ

Washington, DC (Feb. 14)?A congressional team has reintroduced the ?Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act,? which establishes a process through which the US Food and Drug Administration can approve generic copies of biologic drugs.

Congressional Bill Establishes Biogenerics Approval Path

Darmstadt Germany (Jan. 8)-Merck KGaA closed on its roughly CHF 16.6 billion ($13.3 billion) deal to acquire a majority stake in the European biotechnology company Serono (Geneva, Switzerland), officially launched Merck Serono SA as a new entity within Merck KGaA, outlined its integration strategy, and announced plans to divest its generics business.

Merck KGaA Launches Merck Serono SA and Plans to Divest Generics Business

Brussels, Belgium (Dec. 5)-The debate over biosimilars in Europe was heightened last week between the European Generics Association and the International Alliance of Patients Organizations, a patient advocacy group that issued a briefing paper on biosimilars to the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU).

European Generics Association Responds to IAPO Paper on Biosimilars

Jill Wechsler is Pharmaceutical Technology's Washington Editor, jillwechsler7@gmail.com.

Brand-name manufacturers seek to protect their products.

The Push for Generic Drugs Accelerates

In a move to strengthen its position in Western generic drug markets, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. (Gurgaon, Haryana, India) acquired the Mundogen generic drug business of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK, London, England) in Spain, through Ranbaxy's Spanish subsidiary, Laboratorios Ranbaxy S.L.

Ranbaxy Acquires GSK's Mundogen Generic Drug Business

Does the competition from authorized generics really help lower drug prices and boost healthcare savings?

PhRMA and GPhA Debate Authorized Generics, Pfizer Authorizes Zoloft Generic

Last week, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA Arlington, VA) praised a proposal by the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee that, if approved, would provide $10 million in additional funding for the US Food and Drug Administration?s (Rockville, MD) Office of Generic Drugs.

GPhA Praises Plan to Increase Funding for Office of Generic Drugs

The US Food and Drug Administration (Rockville, MD) approved the first generic versions of "Zocor" (simvastatin), the anticholesterol drug by Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ).

FDA Approves First Generic Version of Zocor

Pfizer, Inc. (New York, NY) reports the United Kingdom's Court of Appeal has upheld the exclusivity of the main patent covering atorvastatin, the active ingredient in "Lipitor."