ex-chem

Takeda Forced to Surrender DPP-IV Drug Market to Merck

>>>>even if you're selective for that one enzyme, it has a lot of other substrates. So the story may well swing back to the biochemical mechanism again before we're through.<<<&l...

Methinks we may have gotten a little too smart for our own good! The plethora of data available nowadays--mechanisms, substrate specificity, lack of specificity, multiple substrates, inconclusive mechanism of action, P450 interactions, metabolic insufficiency, CV risk in overweight patients, etc., etc.

It no longer matters that a particular drug candidate may actually produce a positive outcome for a particular condition--God forbid that grossly overweight, chain smoking, and generally unhealthy Ma Kettle should get a bunion while on her pharmaceutical regimen for diabetes! End of drug!

What do you think the chances would be of the FDA approving acetylsalicylic acid?

Roche / Genentech Is a Done Deal

Just another comment, in general---

>>>"We aren't producing enough good new drugs quickly enough."<<<&l...

You're right on--and it's not going to change, regardless of mergers, synergies, outsourcing nor high throughputs--

Americans (public, FDA, lawyers, class actions, judiciary, etc.) will no longer accept any pharmaceutical agent unless it is 100% effective, and 100% free of any and all side effects that can be imagined. The cost (and difficulty/improbabili... of producing such an agent is high enough that such agents will never be developed or sold.

The era of blockbuster medicines being developed is over--because Ma Kettle might develop a bunion, 300,000 people will hop on the class action, and an independent researcher from an obscure university/country will publish results confirming the bunion risk----and that will be that for the "miracle cure", and the pharma company touting said cure will be on the hook for millions/billions.

Would you invest in a climate like that? Not me.

ex-chem

Roche / Genentech Is a Done Deal

To ScientistSailor: Where's the "top talent" going to go? China? Goodbye DNA!!

If anyone thinks "it doesn't come any better", I don't know what planet they may be on. Mergers such as this don't have a very good track record. I'm sure this one will work, however, since the "researchers and labs will be kept intact". (sarcasm)

ex-chem (and happy)

Merck / Schering-Plough Deal Makes Sense Up to a Point

Derek: Very general compliment-I really appreciate all the links and references you include in your articles-they really help the reader flesh out the full story.

GlaxoSmithKline: More Cuts and No Guidance

>>>distracted by large-scale M&A within the pharmaceutical sector <<<

GSK's distraction when they merged with each other is the reason for their present state of affairs---dismal!

As for their discontinuing external guidance--they haven't had any internal guidance in R&D for years!

Pfizer's Restructuring Still Leaves Employees in the Dark

Sounds almost identical to the "DPU" model being implemented at Glaxo. Hope for the research folk at Pfizer that the cuts are not as deep as at Glaxo (60-70%). I was one of the lucky ones-older, and well "packaged" for retirement!

Wyeth vs. Conte: Are Big Pharmas Now Liable for Generics?

Interesting. The original manufacturer (Wyeth) is not able to protect themselves or the public by removing the offending product from the market, since they no longer own the rights to the product. They only own the liability. Ain't America great? Ain't California the greatest?

GlaxoSmithKline Trims Down Oncology Head Count

The GSK site at Upper Merion, Pa. is already half empty, and most left there feel as though they are on borrowed time.

GlaxoSmithKline Slashes Research Staff

Cardiovascular Chemistry at Upper Merion axing 2/3 staff (51 out of 76) in bloodbath Tuesday/Wednesday. Similar size cuts in CVU Chem at RTP. Biology/Pharmacology hit even harder. New strategy in research--lottsa luck!!