In this Issue...

Chairman's Message Globalization of India As the US dollar has weakened considerably as compared to just about every other global currency and the US economy is in a downturn trend, US based pharmaceutical manufacturers must pay closer attention to the trends towards globalization.

US companies can no longer exist on past technology dominance or view India as merely places for manufacturing and clinical trials. They must embrace the globalization brought on by India’s emergence as a dominant player in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sphere. Research at Duke and Harvard shows that Indian companies are performing the most advanced types of R&D for multinational corporations. Scientists from those corporations are rapidly developing the ability to innovate and create their own intellectual property. The global market has changed dramatically over the last decade, and a new era of even more globalization is to come. A significant change in globalization is Supply Chain Distribution. Where the supply chain in healthcare used to be contained, within a country’s R&D, clinical trials, and distribution, it is now fragmented and decentralized. Today, R&D, clinical trials, manufacture, and sales can be done in any part of the world, across a wide array of industries. For example, India is the world’s second largest supplier of childhood vaccines and fourth largest supplier of pharmaceuticals. The Indian pharmaceutical industry continues to grow and is expected to see a 25% growth in revenue and 45% increase in net profits this year. This growth is based on increased sales domestically and internationally as well as the depreciation of the rupee. Indian manufacturers are proactively moving to place their products in the global market. Lupin, Glenmark Pharma, Alembic, Aurobindo and Jubilant Organosys are all working on mergers and acquisitions in the USA and Europe. Meanwhile, manufacturers face more regulation and competition since the implementation of patent regulation in India in 2005. To remain competitive, they can strategically increase their R&D divisions. Due to India's lower cost for R&D and clinical trials, Indian manufacturers can become a dominant force in the global R&D arena ...Read More

Do Moisturizers Cause Cancer?

Commonly used moisturizers have been linked to cancer in rodents; however, the implications for human use are still unclear.

Researchers at Rutgers University, New Jersey, applied four widely used moisturizers to mice every day for several months and then exposed the animals to UVB radiation. ... Read More

Beiersdorf Defends Moisturizer

In response to the new study linking moisturizers to cancer in rodents, Beiersdorf is fighting academic research on mice that linked its Eucerin moisturizer to skin cancer.

The Rutledge study stated that tumor rates were 24 per cent higher in the mice treated with Beiersdorf’s Eucerin Original Moisturizing Cream. ... Read More

Mergers & Acquisitions

Germany-based active ingredients firm Symrise says it has acquired a 20 per cent stake in bioactive peptides specialist Theraputic Peptides (TPI).

The move secures the distribution rights for this type of highly advanced cosmetic active ingredient, as well as various derivative ingredients and the company’s transdermal delivery technology. ... Read More

No More Bad Hair Days?

US scientists claim to have lifted the lid on a key reason for the so called ‘bad hair day’ – a finding that could lead to improvements in hair care product development.

The study findings, which were recently presented at the American Chemical Society national meeting, highlighted how detailed microscopic analysis of hair fibers shows exactly how hair fibers interact with one another – a factor that affects the smoothness and ultimately the appearance of the hair. ... Read More

Peptides: the Future of Skincare?

Peptides have become popular for their use as anti-microbials for a range of skin care products as well as being combined as an active ingredient in hair regrowth products.

However, where they have really come to the fore is in anti-aging skin care formulations. Indeed, peptides have become so popular in anti-aging products that they have been tipped as one of the hottest trends for 2008 by industry observers. ... Read More

India Primed for Future Growth

Despite the weakening US dollar and increasing rates of inflation in the US, Europe, and India, the Indian biotech industry is seeing continued growth.

A combination of a weakened currency and an urgent need to cut costs at big pharma companies is driving a surge of drug development and manufacturing business for India. The Wall Street Journal says bad times in Big Pharma are spurring a boom for .... Read More

India’s Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the second-fastest growing industry sector in the country. It has shown a revenue growth of 27.32 per cent (as per the latest data available) to touch Rs 25,196.48 crore (Rs 251.96 billion) in 2006-07. The industry also saw Indian drug companies buying out many small firms the world over ... Read More

Daiichi Sankyo buys into Ranbaxy

Emerging markets and generics are the future for the drug industry. Japan's Daiichi Sankyo has capitalized on both trends by buying a majority stake in India generics giant Ranbaxy.

The deal values Ranbaxy's shares at 737 rupees a piece, a 31 percent premium over yesterday's close. Ranbaxy will become a subsidiary of Daiichi but Malvinder Singh will remain its CEO. In a statement, the companies outlined several reasons for the merger. Daiichi said the move allows it to diversify into generics; it also gets its foot in the door with the fast-growing emerging markets that so many ... Read More

GSK to Launch Tykerb in India in 2008

GlaxoSmithKline's is set to launch the breast-cancer drug Tykerb in India in 2008.

The company is reported to be lining up critical care and cardio-vascular drugs for the Indian market through two, yet-to-be formalised, in-licensing deals ... Read More

New Class of Drugs Fights Alzheimers

A new study suggests that a class of drugs called gamma-secretase modulators shows potential for treating Alzheimer's disease. A hallmark of Alzheimer's is so-called amyloid plaque, which develops tangles in the brain. The gamma-secretase modulators reduce the production of long pieces of amyloid beta protein that stick together and form clumps. At the same time, the drugs increase .... Read More

Americans Have to Wait Until 2011 for Generic Lipitor

Generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor will not be available in the United States until November 30, 2011, under the terms of a patent dispute agreement reached between Pfizer, Inc. and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. of India.

Ian Read, president of worldwide pharmaceutical operations for Pfizer, said, “The agreement provides patients with access to a generic product much earlier than if Ranbaxy were .... Read More

Lupin Receives FDA Approval for Topiramate Tablets

Lupin Pharmaceuticals announced it has received tentative approval for the Company’s abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Topiramate tablets, 25mg, 50mg, 100mg and 200mg from the US FDA.

Lupin’s Topiramate tablets are the AB-rated generic equivalent of Ortho-McNeil’s TOPAMAX® tablets, indicated for the treatment of seizures. The brand product had annual sales ... Read More

Wyeth Receives FDA Approval for TYGACIL

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, announced that the US FDA issued an approval letter for the first-in-class antibiotic TYGACIL(R) (tigecycline) for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Before granting approval, the FDA requiested that Wyeth provide additional analyses to support the safety and efficacy of TYGACIL for the treatment of patients with CAP with illness severe enough to require hospitalization, including those who are at higher risk of mortality. The FDA requested information regarding the benefit/risk . ... Read More

NEWS UPDATE: Indian Congressman calls
for stop to clinical trials.

News that 49 infants died during clinical trials in India has sparked anger among the nation’s congress, with some calling for all studies to be stopped while investigations take place despite the trials having an infant mortality rate (IMR) below the national average. ... Read More