FDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin

The U.S. Pharmacopeia's (USP) final model guidelines for Medicare drug formularies maintain the same number of categories and classes as the earlier draft guidelines -- a move that rebuffs calls by the pharmaceutical industry to give the plan a comprehensive revision.

A new Rhode Island law allowing for the importation of prescription drugs would provide licenses to Canadian pharmacies -- a plan that represents a new strategy by states seeking to lower residents' drug costs.

Noven Pharmaceuticals' efforts to bring a generic version of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) Duragesic transdermal pain patch to market are being deliberately blocked by a "suspicious" string of citizen petitions, the company claimed in a recent filing with the FDA.

Following in the footsteps of other drugmakers, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is joining the relief efforts to help the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami that have devastated countries in Asia and along the east coast of Africa.

TaiGen Biotechnology has announced the signing of a strategic alliance relationship with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) to further the development and commercialization of a novel non-flourinated quinolone antibiotic, invented by P&GP.

Tripos has completed its acquisition of Optive Research, an Austin, Texas, firm that develops, markets and supports life science software, the company said.

UK Health Minister, Lord Warner has announced the winning bids for £2.5 million to support further research into gene therapy for cystic fibrosis.

Savient Pharmaceuticals, an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs has announced the exclusive marketing agreement between their wholly owned subsidiary, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals ("Rosemont") and O.R.C.A.PHARM GmbH to market and distribute Soltamox (tamoxifen oral liquid solution) in Germany.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leading therapeutic RNA interference (RNAi) company, has granted GeneCare Research Institute, a Japanese biotechnology firm, an exclusive license through the InterfeRx licensing program to discover, develop and commercialize RNAi therapeutics directed against two DNA helicase genes associated with cancer.

Eli Lilly India has struck a deal to sell its anti-infective drug Tobraneg to Mumbai-based Elder Pharma.

AXM Pharma has announced that the company's Series B Preferred Shareholders have exercised warrants resulting in net proceeds of US$1,200,000.

AstraZeneca Europe's third-biggest drugmaker, cut roughly 500 contract sales positions, or almost 10 percent of its U.S. sales force, after setbacks with the Exanta blood-thinner and lung cancer treatment Iressa.