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Following reports last week that Japanese drugmakers Sankyo
and Daiichi Pharmaceutical were in merger talks, the two companies have confirmed
that they will combine operations in October.
According to surveys conducted by local generic drugmakers, selling
prices of generics in South Africa are substantially lower than in developed
and comparable markets in the Western hemisphere.
According to Brazilian drugmakers' association ALANAC, local production
of a new vaccine against rotavirus, a cause of severe and potentially fatal
gastrointestinal problems in child sufferers, is to begin in 2006.
Irish pharmaceuticals producer Elan Corporation has received EU marketing
approval for its Prialt (ziconotide) treatment, indicated for chronic pain in
patients undergoing intrathecal analgesia.
Japanese drugmaker Fujisawa, which is scheduled to merge with Yamanouchi
April 1, has agreed to divest a number of key products worth some JPY800mn (US$7.63mn).
As part of efforts to boost the country's pharmaceutical industry,
Pakistan's government has set a 10 percent import tariff on the drug raw material
amylopectin hydrolysate, a modified plant-based starch.
In a partial victory for local drugmakers, India's
government has reduced the level at which taxes are chargeable on drug products
from 65 percent to 60 percent of the retail price printed on drug packets.
Israeli generics major Teva has submitted an application to make a generic
version of Adderall XR, the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug manufactured
by UK drugmaker Shire Pharmaceutical.