Content about Pfizer

February 1, 2012

As part of DSN's Executive Retailer Viewpoint series, DSN sat down with Jason Reiser, VP health and wellness, ops/compliance at Sam's Club, at DSN's Industry Issues Summit to discuss how to better engage customers and the impact of the economy on business in 2012.

As part of DSN's Executive Retailer Viewpoint series, DSN sat down with Jason Reiser, VP health and wellness, ops/compliance at Sam's Club, at DSN's Industry Issues Summit to discuss how to better engage customers and the impact of the economy on business in 2012.

January 18, 2012

In an effort to tap into the minds of some of the industry's top executives, Drug Store News recently sat down and talked with some of these leaders in a multipart executive viewpoint video series.

In an effort to tap into the minds of some of the industry's top executives, Drug Store News recently sat down and talked with some of these leaders in a multipart executive viewpoint video series.

This powerful series, sponsored by Pfizer, is comprised of five different on-camera executive interviews that are a must see for anyone working within the retail pharmacy industry.

May 15, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for a type of lung cancer.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for a type of lung cancer.

Roche subsidiary Genentech and the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Astellas Pharma announced the approval of Tarceva (erlotinib) for advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have mutations that activate the epidermal growth factor receptor. The FDA also approved a test to detect the mutation.

The drug was already approved for advanced NSCLC that did not exhibit the mutation.

 

May 9, 2013

The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

May 8, 2013

There is as much as $10 billion in branded pharmaceutical sales that could make the switch from prescription-only to over-the counter in the next five years, suggested Joseph Papa, Perrigo chairman, CEO and president, to analysts on Tuesday.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — There is as much as $10 billion in branded pharmaceutical sales that could make the switch from prescription-only to over-the counter in the next five years, suggested Joseph Papa, Perrigo chairman, CEO and president, to analysts on Tuesday. And as much as $5 billion in the next three years. 

May 6, 2013

Pfizer is attempting to stem the rise of counterfeit medicines by selling one of its most popular drugs — and one of the most popular targets for counterfeiters — online.

NEW YORK — Pfizer is attempting to stem the rise of counterfeit medicines by selling one of its most popular drugs — and one of the most popular targets for counterfeiters — online.

The drug maker announced that it had launched Viagra (sildenafil citrate) home delivery, a prescription-fulfillment website for the drug, which is powered by CVS/pharmacy and accessible through Viagra.com.

May 6, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Merck for treating high cholesterol, the drug maker said.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Merck for treating high cholesterol, the drug maker said.

Merck announced the approval of Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin). The drug combines two preexisting cholesterol drugs: ezetimibe, which Merck markets under the brand name Zetia, and atorvastatin, which Pfizer markets under the name Lipitor. Both drugs are available as generics, but because Liptruzet is a novel combination of them, it required FDA approval as a new drug.

May 1, 2013

Drug maker Actavis has acquired rights to a treatment for an experimental bacterial vaginosis from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International for about $55 million, the drug makers said.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Drug maker Actavis has acquired rights to a treatment for an experimental bacterial vaginosis from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International for about $55 million, the drug makers said Wednesday.

Actavis Specialty Brands' acquisition of Valeant's metronidazole vaginal gel is in the 1.3% strength. The deal includes an upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties for the first three years after the drug is commercialized. Actavis hopes to market the drug as early as the middle of next year.

April 30, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic drugs made by Aurobindo Pharma, the drug maker said.

HYDERABAD — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic drugs made by Aurobindo Pharma, the drug maker said.

The company announced Tuesday the approval of quinapril tablets in the 5-mg, 10-mg, 20-mg and 40-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer's Accupril and is used to treat high blood pressure. Various versions of the drug had sales of about $49 million during the 12-month period ending in September, according to IMS Health.

April 25, 2013

Greenstone has launched an authorized generic painkiller, the company said.

PEAPACK, N.J. — Greenstone has launched an authorized generic painkiller, the company said.

Greenstone, the generics arm of Pfizer, announced the introduction of authorized generic oxaprozin caplets in the 600 mg strength. The drug is a version of Pfizer's Daypro, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID.

Authorized generics are branded drugs sold under their generic names at a reduced price.

 

April 24, 2013

The Foundation for Health Smart Consumers has announced a major expansion of its smoking cessation initiative through the Inspire Program, which will launch at the annual Retail Clinician Education Congress held in May in Las Vegas.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — The Foundation for Health Smart Consumers has announced a major expansion of its smoking cessation initiative through the Inspire Program, which will launch at the annual Retail Clinician Education Congress held in May in Las Vegas. The initial phase of Inspire will continue through 2014.

April 12, 2013

Celgene Corp. chairman and CEO Robert Hugin has been elected as chairman of a pharmaceutical industry trade group.

SAN DIEGO — Celgene Corp. chairman and CEO Robert Hugin has been elected as chairman of a pharmaceutical industry trade group.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America announced the election of Hugin, as well as Pfizer president and CEO Ian Read as chairman-elect of the PhRMA board of directors and Merck chairman, president and CEO as board treasurer.

Hugin succeeds Eli Lilly president, chairman and CEO John Lechleiter as chairman, PhRMA said.

 

April 5, 2013

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Thursday launched its Advil Relief in Action campaign in support of both Habitat for Humanity and Wounded Warrior Project.

MADISON, N.J. — Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Thursday launched its Advil Relief in Action campaign in support of both Habitat for Humanity and Wounded Warrior Project.

Beginning May 1, a portion of the price of participating Advil bottles will go to Habitat for Humanity International and Wounded Warrior Project. The Advil Relief in Action program will also be on-site at Habitat for Humanity builds and in conjunction with Wounded Warrior Project at Tough Mudder events.

March 25, 2013

SanMedica International introduced its SeroVital-HGH, a new oral human-growth hormone booster formulated with women in mind, at the Academy of Women's Health's Annual Congress.

WASHINGTON —  SanMedica International on Friday introduced its SeroVital-HGH, a new oral human-growth hormone booster formulated with women in mind, at the Academy of Women's Health's Annual Congress here. 

March 14, 2013

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association officially elected James Mackey, SVP U.S. region head for Merck Consumer Care, as the association's chairman.

NAPLES, Fla. — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Wednesday officially elected James Mackey, SVP U.S. region head for Merck Consumer Care, as the association's chairman. Paul Sturman, president and general manager Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, will serve as immediate past chairman. 

March 8, 2013

With private label across analgesics up an estimated 11.3% to $1.7 billion, retailers are going to need to make some tough decisions as two internal analgesic powerhouses — McNeil's Tylenol and Novartis' Excedrin — make their way back onto market after respective recalls.

With private label across analgesics up an estimated 11.3% to $1.7 billion, retailers are going to need to make some tough decisions as two internal analgesic powerhouses — McNeil's Tylenol and Novartis' Excedrin — make their way back onto market after respective recalls. Within internal analgesic tablets, sales of store brand equivalents were up 15% off of a 2011 base of around $1.2 billion. The branded competition also were benefactors — both Pfizer's Advil and Bayer's Aleve generated more than $50 million in incremental sales on top of 2011 sales.

March 5, 2013

Ranbaxy Labs will market a drug for depression under an agreement with another company, the drug maker said Tuesday.

PRINCETON, N.J. — Ranbaxy Labs will market a drug for depression under an agreement with another company, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Ranbaxy said it had entered an in-licensing agreement with Alembic Pharmaceuticals to market desvenlafaxine base extended-release tablets. Alembic is the sponsor of a new drug application filed with the Food and Drug Administration for the drug, which is bioequivalent to Pfizer's Pristiq. Pristiq had sales of $590 million during the 12-month period that ended in January.

February 28, 2013

Canadian generic drug makers expressed dismay over a new plan to reduce reimbursements for a half-dozen generic medications in most of the country's provinces. According to published reports, a group of premiers had reached a coordinated deal to reduce the prices their governments paid for six generic drugs, hoping to save the provinces nearly $100 million.

Canadian generic drug makers expressed dismay over a new plan to reduce reimbursements for a half-dozen generic medications in most of the country's provinces. According to published reports, a group of premiers had reached a coordinated deal to reduce the prices their governments paid for six generic drugs, hoping to save the provinces nearly $100 million.

February 28, 2013

Alabama's Supreme Court ruled in January that brand-name drug companies could be sued if patients suffer complications from generic versions of their medicines, according to published reports.

Alabama's Supreme Court ruled in January that brand-name drug companies could be sued if patients suffer complications from generic versions of their medicines, according to published reports. According to the New York Times, an Alabama man named Danny Weeks claimed he developed tardive dyskinesia after taking generic versions of Pfizer's acid reflux drug Reglan (metoclopramide). Pfizer acquired rights to the drug when it bought Wyeth in 2009, and generic drug makers Teva and Actavis, now owned by Watson, make generic versions.

February 26, 2013

Greenstone has launched an authorized generic version of a drug used to treat cholesterol.

PEAPACK, N.J. — Greenstone has launched an authorized generic version of a drug used to treat cholesterol.

Greenstone, the generics arm of Pfizer, announced the launch of authorized generic atorvastatin calcium tablets in the 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg strengths, in bottle sizes ranging from 90 to 1,000. The drug is a version of the parent company's cholesterol drug Lipitor.

An authorized generic is a brand marketed under its generic name at a reduced price.

February 26, 2013

Drug maker Ranbaxy Labs has started producing the ingredients for a cholesterol drug while working with the Food and Drug Administration to fix manufacturing issues that led to the recall in November 2012 of several batches of the drug.

NEW YORK — Drug maker Ranbaxy Labs has started producing the ingredients for a cholesterol drug while working with the Food and Drug Administration to fix manufacturing issues that led to the recall in November 2012 of several batches of the drug.

The Indian drug maker said it had initiated corrective and preventive actions, or CAPA, as it prepared to resume supplies of generic atorvastatin calcium tablets to the U.S. market. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer's Lipitor, and Ranbaxy became the first company to market a generic version in November 2011.

February 26, 2013

A Virginia-based pharmacy school will collaborate with an alliance of more than 22,000 pharmacies around the country to find ways to promote and increase pneumococcal vaccinations among elderly and high-risk people.

LEESBURG, Va. — A Virginia-based pharmacy school will collaborate with an alliance of more than 22,000 pharmacies around the country to find ways to promote and increase pneumococcal vaccinations among elderly and high-risk people.

February 25, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals for treating tumors of the digestive system, the agency said Monday.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals for treating tumors of the digestive system, the agency said Monday.

The FDA announced the approval of Stivarga (regorafenib) for gastrointestinal stromal tumors that could not be removed through surgery or had spread to other parts of the body and were no longer responding to treatment with Novartis' Gleevec (imatinib) or Pfizer's Sutent (sunitinib).

February 25, 2013

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

February 19, 2013

The Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review to an experimental drug made by ViiV Healthcare for HIV, the company, a joint venture between British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and American drug maker Pfizer, announced.

LONDON — The Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review to an experimental drug made by ViiV Healthcare for HIV, the company, a joint venture between British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and American drug maker Pfizer, announced.

The FDA gave the designation to dolutegravir, designed for use in combination with other antiretrovirual drugs in adults and adolescents. The agency gives priority review to drugs that offer significant improvement compared with products already on the market.