Dear healthmatters — Further to your report ‘Global pressure leads to falling drug prices’ (issue 44) the pharmaceutical industry is indeed fighting hard – and dirty. Read more…

Consultant psychiatrists joined forces with mental health service user groups in July to demonstrate against the ‘hijacking’ of mental health care by the pharmaceutical industry. Read more…

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Although pharmaceutical companies have lowered the price of many drugs for developing countries, generic equivalents remain cheaper – but may be impossible to import, explains Kevin WatkinsTwo-year old Mfane Ncane is lucky to be alive. Read more…

The recent barrage of public criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, following the collapse of the recent court case brought by 39 drugs companies against South Africa, has forced the industry into lowering drugs prices for developing nations. Read more…

Dear healthmatters – The multi-national pharmaceutical companies are trying to prevent developing countries such as South Africa, Brazil and India from producing their own, cheaper, anti-HIV drugs. Read more…

John Abraham reports on how the ‘Europeanisation’ of regulation and licensing for marketing new medicines is profit-driven, unaccountable and a threat to public healthBefore new medicines reach the prescription pad, they must first be approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities,... Read more…

NewswireToday (newswire) - 05/19/2008 London, United Kingdom - With no available therapy for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FS), pharmaceutical companies have shown great interested in coming up with possible recommendations and therapies for treatment Read more…

New figures show that the UK boom in medicines research could be under threat, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). Read more…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling for global cooperation, political commitment and creative solutions to counter what it describes as the silent epidemic of counterfeit medicines. At an international conference in Rome the body is aiming to put together a global task force to focus on legislation, law enforcement and innovative technology solutions. Dr Howard Zucker, WHO assistant director general for health technology and pharmaceuticals, said: "People don't die from carrying a fake handbag or wearing a fake t-shirt. They can die from taking a counterfeit medicine. Read more…

The German chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA had its profits rise for the final quarter of last year by 34 per cent to 109.5 million euros. The growth was said to be down to increased demand for liquid crystals for computer displays. Read more…

Fast tracking new drugs could have a negative effect on patients in the longer term, a senior doctor in Britain has claimed. An article published in the British Medical Journal by consultant neurologist Abhijit Chaudhuri discusses the issues surrounding the fast tracking of new drugs. Read more…

GPs are more likely to prescribe headache drugs to middle-aged women than men, a study has claimed. Researchers at King's College London found women aged between 45 and 54 were three times as likely to visit their GP about headaches while men were more likely to be referred to hospital. Read more…

Belgian firm Solvay has released its results for 2005 with pharmaceutical sales up 30 per cent to 2.27 billion euros. The company as a whole had profits of 816 million euros for the year. Read more…

AstraZeneca has lodged its appeal over losing the patent for hypertension treatment Toprol XL (metoprolol succinate). In January US court ruled that two patents for the extended release tablet were invalid and unenforceable finding in favour of the defendants KV Pharmaceutical, Andrx Corp and Novartis's Eon Labs. Read more…

Women can safely have DIY abortions at home, a study has concluded. The pilot study, set up by the Department of Health (DoH), found that women less than nine weeks pregnant could safely have the medical abortion outside of hospital. Read more…

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has forced Eli Lilly to withdraw an advice leaflet. The leaflet, providing doctors with advice on treatments for mental health, was written on behalf of Diabetes UK and carried the logo of the charity, reports the Financial Times. Read more…

Sanofi-Aventis has recalled 30 batches of the anticoagulant Clexane (enoxaparin). The move was made after quality control tests found there was the possibility that there could be an over-concentration of the active ingredient in a limited number of syringes. Read more…

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun its review of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) investigational antibacterial retapamulin. GSK submitted a new drug application (NDA) for retapamulin in November last year and expects to receive approval later this year. Read more…

Eli Lilly is to buy back worldwide marketing rights for Yentreve/AriClaim (duloxetine hydrochloride) from Boehringer Ingelheim. As a stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treatment, along with future related urinary incontinence indications, the drug will continue to be marketed outside the US by Lilly but other treatments using duloxetine will remain under both firms. Read more…