Posts Tagged ‘drugs’

FDA Playing Catch-Up Again

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

FDAlogo The FDA is playing catch up, again.  On the heels of requiring the dreaded black box warning for Botox and similar products, the FDA today announced it would also require black box warnings for two testosterone replacement products:  AndroGel 1% and Testim 1%.

After having been on the market for some time, the FDA has decided that the products could have negative effects if children are exposed to the products.

Mary Roberts, an FDA medical officer, said in some instances people were applying the product to their chest and then holding their children without wearing shirts.

You may view the FDA’s press release here.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Trademarks | No Comments »

FDA Nominee Faces Senate

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

fdalogoMargaret Hamburg, President Obama’s selection to head the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) is scheduled to face senators today as they consider her nomination.

Hamburg is a physician and a bioterrorism expert who has served as Commissioner for Health of New York City. 

The Senate is expected to grill Hamburg in light of some notable FDA failures such as salmonella outbreak in peanut products early this year, tomatoes and peppers in 2008 and spinach in 2006.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Government Action, Pharmaceuticals, Trademarks | No Comments »

Roche to Acquire Genentech

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

roche-logoIt was announced today that Roche will acquire Genentech for $95 a share – that’s $46.8 billion!  Mind you that acquisition is only for the 44% of Genentech that Roche does not currently own.  That’s right, Roche already owns 56% of Genentech.  

Roche, based in Basel, Switzerland, has insisted that it will allow Genentech’s drug discovery and early-stage clinical trial activities to be run independently. Moreover, because Roche’s existing drugs will be marketed in the United States under the Genentech name, the brand will endure.

Many of Roche’s American workers will be asked to move from the company’s United States headquarters in Nutley, N.J., to South San Francisco, Calif., where Genentech is based.

Other workers in Nutley and South San Francisco are likely to lose their jobs, although executives would not say how large the layoffs would be. But layoffs are not expected in the sales forces.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Trademarks | No Comments »