Q4: Allergan soars past estimates, again

Allergan's 2014 revenues were up 14.7%.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 6, 2015

Sanofi: Q4 earnings beat forecast, new CEO to be named by end of Q1 2015

A weak euro boosted the company's earnings. And it'll need to stay weak to ensure a good revenue haul for the year. 

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 5, 2015

Explore the Trendline➔

Commercialization

New drugs for obesity and Alzheimer’s look set to become blockbusters, reshaping pharma marketing strategies just as many current top-sellers near looming patent cliffs.

By BioPharma Dive staff

Moody's: Patent-cliff challenges will continue to dog big pharma

According to Moody's, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck, Amgen, and Novo Nordisk are more threatened now by patent losses than they were just a couple of years ago.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 4, 2015

Merck's Belsomra for insomnia now available in US

Belsomra (suvorexant) is the first and only orexin receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of insomnia. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 4, 2015

Earnings roundup: Merck tops expectations, steady GSK rises on ViiV IPO talk

Merck's EPS was down just one cent from Q4 2013 and Glaxo announced that the company had hired a bevy of powerhouse financial advisers to help craft a partial IPO of GSK's HIV arm ViiV. 

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 4, 2015

UPDATE: Why Gilead's shares are tumbling despite stellar Q4 earnings

Q4 2014 revenue more than doubled compared to the previous year and 170k patients are on Sovaldi/Harvoni. But discounts amid a tough pricing landscape will significantly undercut hep C margins.

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 3, 2015

Sanofi finally launches Afrezza inhaled insulin in the US

But does the company have particularly high hopes for sales?

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 3, 2015

Ireland threatens to cap drug prices

The Irish government is considering capping prices on older medications, because drug makers are unwilling to lower prices.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 3, 2015

Pro-life groups blame Merck, in part, for surging measles cases

Pro-life groups say that the rubella component of the MMR vaccine was made using cell-lines from aborted fetuses.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 2, 2015

Alexion COO Hallal named company's next CEO

The departing CEO, Dr. Leonard Bell, will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 30, 2015

J&J under continued scrutiny for off-label pediatric use of Risperdal

After paying a $2.2 billion settlement to the Department of Justice in 2013, J&J is again under fire for failing to warn parents about certain Risperdal side effects, including boys growing breasts.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 30, 2015

Greed is misunderstood? Tackling biopharma's pricing image problem

inVentiv Health EVP Michael Griffith spoke to us about what the industry needs to accept—​and what it can do—to communicate value amid public backlash and a challenging new pricing landscape.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 29, 2015

Express Scripts claims it's saved US healthcare $4B through hep C deals

It's a bold statement. But does the math add up?

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 29, 2015

Earnings update: Roche plateaus, Amgen stock slides despite solid performance

Roche reported a 16% drop in profits for FY 2014 despite a 5% increase in sales. Meanwhile, Amgen's profits for Q4 2014 were up 27%. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 29, 2015

Largest US health insurer latest to give Harvoni preferred hep C drug status

Another win for Gilead—and a loss for AbbVie—as UnitedHealth, the nation's largest health insurer, gives Harvoni preferred status for all insured customers. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 29, 2015

Novo deploys 500 rep army to take Saxenda message to MDs

With a target of $1 billion in annual sales, Novo is sending out 500 reps to spread the word about weight loss drug Saxenda to physicians who treat overweight patients, including diabetologists and endocrinologists.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 27, 2015

Expiring patents, surging dollar dog BMS, Pfizer, & Novartis earnings

All three companies are expecting lower sales and earnings in 2015.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 27, 2015

Average Rx drug prices spiked 10.9% last year

According to research from research firm Truveris, prescription pricing rose across the board in 2014. Some crucial drug classes saw prices rise by as much as 30%.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 27, 2015

UPDATE: Pfizer gives poor nations modest discount after vax price blowback

Pfizer will provide a 20 cent per dose discount on four-dose Prevenar 13. Groups like Doctors Without Borders aren't impressed.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 27, 2015

GSK denies reports of imminent job cuts in China

Since its well-publicized bribery scandal in China, GSK has been working hard to boost sales—while also vigorously denying rumors of job cuts.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 26, 2015

Digital dawn: Online interactions with MDs leading to more prescripts

Emails, webinars, and automated sales calls are three digital interactions that doctors are becoming comfortable with—and increasingly responding to by writing a prescription.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 23, 2015

Express Scripts determined to influence prices for cancer drugs

The largest pharmacy benefits manager in the U.S. has already successfully forced AbbVie to provide its hep C drugs at lower prices. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 23, 2015

Out with the old: Merck discontinues US sales of hep C med Victrelis

The advent of Gilead's Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and other new treatment options has rendered Victrelis obsolete. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 22, 2015

Salix Pharma reportedly exploring options, considering sale

Beset by excess inventory and the loss of a potential buy-out by Allergan, Salix is working with advisors to determine what comes next.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 22, 2015

Colorado-based ViroCyt raises $3.5M to market its Virus Counter

The Virus Counter, a lab-based tech that allows scientists to determine the amount of virus particles in a sample, lets researchers get results in a matter of minutes. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 21, 2015