generic drugs news stories on Newser

Viagra Gum? Drug Makers Get Busy as Generics Near

Matt Cantor — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:57:05 CDT

Viagra’s chemical patent expires next year, likely opening the playing field to cheaper generic versions of the pill—and in a $5 billion industry, the makers of the erectile dysfunction drug are racing to stay ahead of the competition. Pfizer recently began selling a chewable form of Viagra in Mexico,...

Poor Nations Pick Up Tab as Obama Woos Big Pharma

Jason Farago — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:15:00 CDT

The Obama administration is thwarting poor countries' access to affordable drugs in order to win Big Pharma's support for health care reform, according to Doctors Without Borders and other NGOs. As the Los Angeles Times reports, governments from Asia to Latin America are feeling pressure from Washington on their use...

FTC Challenges Payments to Delay Generics

Clay Dillow — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:25:27 CST

The Federal Trade Commission, pledging to oppose “pay-for-delay” agreements, filed suit against a brand-name testosterone-replacement drug manufacturer for paying three competitors to delay introductions of generic versions, the Washington Post reports. Nearly half of settlements between brand-name drug-makers and their generic counterparts in 2006 and 2007 resulted in such arrangements,...

Pfizer to Can 800 Researchers

Nick McMaster — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:19:39 CST

Pfizer will eliminate the jobs of up to 800 researchers in 2009, starting today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The pharmaceutical giant is attempting to cut costs ahead of a $30 billion reduction in revenue expected in 2011 when its patent on the popular cholesterol drug Lipitor expires. But the...

Stocks Tumble as Bayer Loses Patent for Contraceptive

Laurel Jorgensen — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:27:51 CST

Bayer shares tumbled to a 12-month low yesterday after a US judge ended the pharmaceutical giant's patent on Yasmin, the company’s top-selling birth control pill. The ruling means rival Barr Pharmaceuticals may introduce a lower-priced generic version of Yasmin in the next few months, Bloomberg reports.

Risky Errors on Rise With Sound-Alike Drugs

Rob Quinn — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:24:43 CST

The problem of drug-name mix-ups is growing in the US, with harmful and sometimes even fatal consequences for patients, USA Today reports. A study undertaken by the group that regulates generic drug names found that the rate of mix-ups has more than doubled since 2004. In one case, a 7-year-old...

Battle Brews in Pharma's Market

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:43:34 CDT

Pfizer is trying to stave off its own heart attack now that its flagship cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor faces stiff competition from a cheaper generic. Lipitor is still patent-protected, but a very similar drug called Zocor isn't, and since a generic version called simvastatin hit the market, many doctors and insurers...

FDA Promises More Generics

Asta Hostetter — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:19:32 CDT

The FDA approved about a third more generic drugs in fiscal 2007 than the year prior, and pledged yesterday to speed its review process to accommodate yet more. Sales of generics, which average about one-third the cost of their brand-name counterparts, are up 22%—and one advocacy group says the...

Wal-Mart Expands $4 Drug Program

Zach Samalin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:29:29 CDT

A year after launching its $4 prescription drug program, Wal-Mart yesterday added 24 names to its list of 361 generic medications. The company boasts that it now covers more than 95% of treatable common diseases, the St Petersburg Times reports, but critics call the program a publicity stunt and say...