Pharma News from Monday

Wyeth added $1.3 billion to its bottomline in the second quarter, a windfall for its acquirer Pfizer in a complex deal valuing Wyeth $47 per share including a mix of cash, swap and some other for later analysis

Also, new drugs include PCVs ( see http://healthpost-z.blogspot.com ) from Glaxo and Pfizer and the new COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) drug QAB149 from Novartis will each see a billion plus dollars in annual sales going forward

QAB 149 showed 20% improvement in medication free relief days over Spiriva from Pfizer

Novartis is riding on the sales of Galvus and Tekturna. Januvia from Merck introduced as vildagliptiin ( Galvus) substitute?

GSK has thence signed a contract with Brazil govt to tend to 13m children every year for $2.2 billion, pricing doses for Brazil at $11.5 in year 1 to $5 in the final years looking for volume in emerging markets against its price of $25 in European markets.

At the same time, drug sales are also growing quickly in China, reaching $33.9 billion in 2007, up 25.6 percent from 2006, according to Business Monitor International data cited in the Sinopharm prospectus. Sinophrarm listed its $1.13 billion offering on Sept 23 in HKG (China State constrn Engg was the largest IPO at $7.3 billion)

The challenges / silver bullets bitten

Novartis

Diovan will get competition from generics once Cozaar from Merck loses patent in 2010 and currently sells $5.7 b worldwide

New drug Valturna is only a rehash of Diovan and Tekturna for High BP

Pfizer

Paid $2.3 billion in fines for illegal drug promotions ( golf weekends, junkets for Doctors) - fourth settlement in 10 years

Still second largest in India after buying Wyeth

GSK

Advair ( competing with QAB149) for COPD is losing patent protection in 2011