Drug manufacturing

Johnson & Johnson to pay US $417m damages in talc case

A woman in the US has been awarded US $417 million in punitive damages and compensation after a jury backed her claim that her terminal ovarian cancer was caused by using Johnson & Johnson (J&J) talc products, such as Baby Powder, for feminine hygiene, according to the Reuters news agency.…

Mylan to pay $465m in settlement over EpiPen

US drug manufacturer Mylan has agreed a US$465m settlement with the US Department of Justice in response to allegations that it overcharged the healthcare programme Medicaid for its anaphylaxis treatment EpiPen (epinephrine).…

MHRA advises health professionals on supply of clobazam for epilepsy

An epilepsy charity has updated its advice for health professionals on the supply of clobazam for people with epilepsy.…

PSNC tells contractors to ‘exert maximum pressure on wholesalers’ to drive down price of pregabalin

Contractors struggling to source pregabalin at list price since restrictions placed by NHS England limiting the use of generic pregabalin were lifted have been told by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to “exert maximum pressure on wholesalers” to drive down its price.…

How drug prices are hiked and what is being done to tackle the problem

There has been negative publicity in the national press about drug manufacturers increasing the price of some medicines significantly: so called ‘price gouging’. These increased prices are then passed on to the NHS, and lead to headlines quoting multi-million pound figures.…

Manufacturers should evaluate quality control methods for vaccines

I read with interest your news story ‘Researchers find metal impurities in vaccines, but European regulator challenges study’ ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2017;298:76). Manufacturers have an interest and an obligation to produce all drugs, including vaccines, as contami…

EMA calls for suspension of generic drugs after concerns about quality of data

A list of generic drugs — including 41 that are available in the UK — have been recommended for suspension across the EU because of doubts over the quality of the bioequivalence data used to grant their national marketing authorisation.  The European Medicines Agency, the EU&r…

The EpiPen pricing gouging saga is the latest example of market failure

The most recent example of pharmaceutical price gouging in the United States to catch public attention involves the EpiPen (adrenaline/epinephrine), a widely used injectable pen that can be life saving for those with severe allergic reactions to certain substances. The price of this device has…

Counterfeit medicines are a growing threat to global health, WHO meeting hears

Substandard and counterfeit medicines pose a growing threat to global health and greater global efforts are needed to counter the problem, experts have warned at an international forum.  …

Advanced therapy medicinal products present challenges for pharmacists

Few pharmacists have experience handling advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) — medicines based on genes, cells or tissue engineering — but the field is likely to grow and presents special challenges for pharmacists.…