Pharmaceutical companies

Why biosimilars should be interchangeable with biologics

Research suggests no substantive outcome differences between the use of originator biologics and their biosimilar counterparts Source: Shutterstock.com There is sufficient evidence to prove that biosimilars are equivalent to biologics and should be used i…

Return on investment falls for pharmaceutical industry

The return on investment in drug research and development being achieved by the pharmaceutical industry fell to 3.7% in 2016 – the lowest figure in the past six years, according to an industry analysis published by Deloitte.…

Teva agrees to pay US$519m to settle corruption charge

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the world’s largest generic medicines producer, has agreed to pay US$519m after an investigation found that it had paid bribes to foreign government officials in Russia, Ukraine and Mexico.…

Actavis accused of overcharging NHS for hydrocortisone tablets

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accused pharmaceutical company Actavis UK of breaking competition law by charging the NHS excessive prices for hydrocortisone tablets. Actavis UK (formerly Auden Mckenzie) increased the price of 10mg hydrocortisone tablets by over 12,000% compare…

Pfizer and Flynn fined £90m for excessive pricing of epilepsy drug

The UK competition watchdog has fined two pharmaceutical companies £90m for charging what it has called excessive and unfair prices in the UK for phenytoin capsules. …

Access to Medicine Index says industry is making ‘moderate progress’

A total of 2 billion people worldwide cannot get the medicines they need despite “moderate progress” by industry to improve access over the past two years, according to the latest Access to Medicine Index.…

Access to essential drugs achievable for up to US$2 per person per month

It would cost between US$1 and US$2 per person per month to ensure those living in a low-to-middle income country have access to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) list of 201 essential medicines, according to a landmark report.…

‘Hard Brexit’ could delay access to new drugs, think tank warns

A ‘hard Brexit’ could threaten the success of the UK life sciences industry and restrict access to new medicines, a think tank has warned.…

Regulator to investigate drug companies that charge NHS ‘excessive prices’

The competition watchdog has launched an investigation into drug companies suspected of charging the NHS excessive prices. Any company found to have broken the law could face fines of up to 10% of its global turnover.…

NICE to fast track most cost-effective treatments

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England have proposed changes to NICE’s drug appraisal process so that some treatments become available more quickly to patients.…