Akzo Nobel/Schering-Plough: good deal all round

Following months of speculation, the hybrid Dutch group Akzo Nobel has announced its decision to sell its healthcare business unit following a lucrative $14 billion cash offer from Schering-Plough. The US pharmaceutical company stands to gain access to one of the strongest women's health portfolios in the industry, and a CNS franchise that boasts a potential blockbuster in asenapine.

Published By Datamonitor

AstraZeneca: first market approval for Crestor

Although Crestor will be the first third generation statin to launch in western markets, the drug will not make as significant an impact as Pfizer's Lipitor. Safety-driven delays to Crestor's launch mean that it will be competing in a more mature market, and AstraZeneca will have trouble matching the marketing strength of top players Pfizer and Merck & Co.

Published By Datamonitor

Crucell: failed vaccine disappoints

Crucell has halted development of Aerugen, its late-stage vaccine candidate for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients, following disappointing phase III trial results. Although this is something of a setback for vaccine development within the field of cystic fibrosis, other efforts focusing on ion channel therapy still provide a glimmer of hope.

Published By Datamonitor

CryoCor: competing in cardiac cryoablation

Published By Datamonitor

EULAR: Roche and BMS target RA market

By presenting new data at the rheumatology conference currently being held in Amsterdam, Roche and Bristol-Myers Squibb are hoping to encourage uptake of their recently approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs. Although the data illustrates the addition of valuable new treatment options, an increasingly competitive market is set to limit the impact of Rituxan and Orencia in this indication.

Published By Datamonitor

Licensing Week - August 16, 2002

Last week's licensing news had a truly global feel, with companies from the US, the UK, mainland Europe and Japan getting in on the action. The week saw deals between; AstraZeneca and Xenogen; Crucell and GenVec; Takeda and Human Genome Sciences; Adolor and Eli Lilly; and Anadys and Roche.

Published By Datamonitor

Merck: generic Singulair threat becomes reality

As anticipated, Merck is about to face a significant decrease in revenue as the first generic versions of its blockbuster Singulair reach the US market. Although Merck's strong pipeline is aimed at offsetting the impact of generic erosion, little can be done in the immediate future to stem this loss.

Published By Datamonitor

Organon/Pfizer: end of schizophrenic relationship

With an impending IPO, Organon has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Pfizer's marketing clout for the potential blockbuster schizophrenia treatment asenapine. In order to maximize the sales return on this late stage candidate, Organon needs to establish another collaboration with a strong US focus to crack the world's biggest market.

Published By Datamonitor

Organon: lowest dose contraceptive pill on the market

Published By Datamonitor

Organon: Remeron best for stressed depressives

Published By Datamonitor