PharmaLeaders - Company News

Roche fashions cost-saving overhaul

Administrator — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Roche is indeed restructuring. The company is launching a cost-cutting-slash-efficiency initiative that is sure to claim some jobs; however, no numbers have been released yet. And if an internal memo about the Operational Excellence project is any indication, Roche doesn t yet know just how it plans to remodel its business--much less how many job cuts might be required.

There are plenty of reasons why Roche needs a rethink, as CEO Severin Schwan (photo ) says in a statement. Consider pricing pressures--both from U.S. healthcare reform and European belt-tightening--or the recent "pipeline disappointments," as the internal memo puts it. These "disappointments" include...

Will Sanofi and Genzyme sit down and talk?

Administrator — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:12:35 +0000

Watching Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme do the merger dance? Reuters analyzes several possible scenarios for the potential deal. Report

...(Read whole news on source site)

Daiichi exec: Ranbaxy closer to deal with FDA

Administrator — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:03:19 +0000

Daiichi Sankyo s message to the world: Don t worry, we have Ranbaxy Laboratories under control. Daiichi, which owns controlling interest in the Indian drugmaker, says it s making progress on lifting that U.S. ban on some Ranbaxy-made drugs.

A Daiichi spokesman tells Reuters that Ranbaxy has now submitted a required report to the FDA. The internal report, which Ranbaxy officials put together with input from outside experts, had been requested by the agency as a prerequisite for getting the Ranbaxy factories back online for production for the U.S. market.

The forward movement has been a long time coming; drugs made...

Merck puts off Dutch closures to renegotiate

Administrator — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:36:11 +0000

Some intransigent Dutch workers have persuaded Merck to hold fire on facility shutdowns--at least for now. The drugmaker says it will postpone closing some of its operations in the Netherlands until Dec. 31, giving it time to work up potential alternatives. In agreeing to negotiate, Merck staved off a court case that had been schedule for hearing today.

The facilities involved are former Organon sites and include both manufacturing and R&D operations. Merck says it will work "in good faith" to come up with other options, including selling off some of the facilities, Reuters reports. "A lot of options are being considered,"...

Bloomberg: Japans Otsuka gets set for IPO

Administrator — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:34:36 +0000

Japan s Otsuka has an IPO in the works. Bloomberg reports that Otsuka is prepping for a public offering that could take place by year s end--and could raise beaucoup capital for the drugmaker. As Japan s largest privately held pharma company, Otsuka could enter the public fray with a market value of more than $12 billion, analysts tell Bloomberg, outranking its fellow drugmaker Eisai.

Sources close to the process tell Bloomberg that Otsuka hasn t decided on the IPO s size. But analysts tell the news service that the share price could be about 2,100 yen ($24.91), based on...