SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)—With a backlash brewing over the price of medicines in the U.S., drugmakers are pushing back with a new message: Most people don’t pay retail. Top executives from Eli Lilly and Co, Merck & Co and Biogen Inc. said in interviews with Reuters this week that the media focus on retail, or “list…
Pfizer Hikes U.S. Prices for More Than 100 Drugs on Jan. 1
(Reuters)—Pfizer Inc., which plans a $160-billion merger with Ireland-based Allergan Plc to slash its U.S. tax bill, on Jan. 1 raised U.S. prices for more than 100 of its drugs, some by as much as 20%, according to statistics compiled by global information services company Wolters Kluwer. Pfizer confirmed a 9.4% increase for heavily advertised…
Pfizer to Buy Allergan in $160 Billion Deal
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Pfizer Inc. on Monday said it would buy Botox maker Allergan Plc. in a deal worth $160 billion to slash its U.S. tax bill, rekindling a fierce political debate over the financial maneuver. The acquisition, which would shift Pfizer’s headquarters to Ireland, would be the biggest-ever tax inversion. The news prompted Democratic presidential…
FDA Declines to Expand Approval of Pfizer Arthritis Drug Xeljanz
(Reuters)—U.S. health regulators declined to approve Pfizer Inc’s oral rheumatoid arthritis drug Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treat moderate to severe cases of plaque psoriasis, the drugmaker said on Wednesday. Pfizer said it received a complete response letter from the Food and Drug Administration. Such letters typically outline concerns and conditions that must be addressed in order…
Pfizer Loses UK Patent Case over Use of Lyrica Drug for Pain
LONDON (Reuters)—Pfizer suffered a major setback in Britain on Thursday when the High Court in London ruled that claims of patent protection for the use of its $5 billion-a-year drug Lyrica as a pain treatment were invalid. Lyrica, known generically as pregabalin, was originally developed for epilepsy. However, further research showed it could also help patients…
Tofacitinib Effective for Treating Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tofacitinib is better than placebo (and noninferior to etanercept) for treating patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis, according to Pfizer’s OPT Compare trial. In an earlier 12-week, phase 2b, dose-ranging trial, the oral JAK inhibitor tofacitinib proved to be more effective than placebo for treating patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Based on…