Content about Pfizer

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Depomed has launched a new drug for treating shingles, the drug maker said Monday.

The company announced the launch of Gralise (gabapentin) tablets, a once-daily treatment for postherpetic neuralgia, the pain that follows healing of the rash associated with shingles.

Gralise is a proprietary formulation of gabapentin that uses patented polymer technology that enables gradual release of the drug. Depomed said it is not interchangeable with other branded or generic gabapentin-based drugs.

NEW YORK — Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized $5.6 million worth of illegal pharmaceutical products, a 170% increase over 2005. Meanwhile, global sales of counterfeit medicines were estimated to be more than $75 billion last year, 90% more than in 2005.

In response, Pfizer and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy announced Thursday the launch of an effort to educate patients on how to safely buy medicines online and about the risks of counterfeit drugs.


As the clock winds down on the patent exclusivity of the industry’s biggest blockbuster drug in November, speculation continues to grow that Pfizer will look to flip the switch on an OTC version of Lipitor (atorvastatin) before generic competition whittles away at the $7 billion behemoth. 


MADISON, N.J. — Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Thursday announced the launch of Centrum Specialist, a line of enhanced multivitamins aimed at specific health priorities, including prenatal, vision, energy and heart health.

NEW YORK — Pfizer has completed its initial cash tender offer for all the shares of drug maker Icagen that it doesn't already own, Pfizer said Tuesday.

Pfizer, which already owns an 11% stake in Icagen, announced Thursday that it would acquire a majority stake in the company. As of Friday, when the initial tender offer period expired, about 4.6 million shares of Icagen had been put up for sale; combined with Pfizer's existing stake, this represents about 64% of the North Carolina-based maker of drugs for pain, epilepsy and inflammation.

NEW YORK — After entering a definitive agreement to acquire biopharmaceutical company Icagen, Pfizer has extended its tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock.

Pfizer, which already has an 11% stake in Icagen, is offering the company a cash transaction of $6 per share. The tender offer, which was extended to Icagen through Pfizer's wholly owned subsidiary Eclipse Acquisition, expires at midnight on Sept. 1.

All other terms and conditions of the tender offer remain unchanged.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new cancer drug made by Pfizer, the drug maker said.

The FDA approved Pfizer's Xalkori (crizotinib) capsules, a treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has advanced locally or spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastasis. The drug specifically is designed to target NSCLC containing the enzyme anaplastic lymphoma kinase, as determined by a companion test also approved by the FDA.


A worldwide flood of counterfeit and unsafe medications is seeping into the United States and other developed countries via the Internet and porous borders, threatening public health and the security of the pharmaceutical supply chain. In response, federal drug safety overseers and such drug manufacturers as Pfizer are working to shore up the integrity of drug supplies and stop production of fake and adulterated pharmaceuticals at their source.


NEW YORK — While Indian generic drug maker Ranbaxy Labs is expected by many to launch a generic version of a cholesterol drug made by Pfizer later this year, it may have to sell its rights to it if it can't win Food and Drug Administration approval in time, according to published reports.

Citing Credit Suisse analysts, Bloomberg reported that the FDA may delay approval of Ranbaxy's version of Lipitor (atorvastatin), which would prevent it from marketing the drug starting Nov. 30, as it has planned to do.

NEW YORK — Pfizer announced that the patent for its popular erectile dysfunction treatment was upheld in court.

The drug maker said that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia concluded that Pfizer's patent for Viagra was valid and enforceable and prevents generic drug maker Teva from marketing its version of the drug until October 2019. Pfizer noted that litigation on the same patent remains pending against other generic companies, but no trials are scheduled in those other cases.

The court's decision, however, is subject to appeal by Teva.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Prescription savings program Together Rx Access announced that it has appointed a Pfizer executive to serve as its board of managers chairman.

NEW YORK — Pfizer Consumer on Thursday announced that its calcium supplement brand Caltrate is partnering with actress Dana Delany to celebrate inspiring women as part of an initiative called "Women Move the World." As part of the celebration, Caltrate also has become a national sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.