Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SPIRIVA® HandiHaler® (tiotropium bromide inhalation powder) for the reduction of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Original Source of FDA Approves SPIRIVA® HandiHaler® for the Reduction of COPD Exacerbations…

GlaxoSmithKline is considering three U.K. sites for its first biopharmaceutical factory in the country,

Celgene is one step closer to getting its cancer drug Revlimid widely adopted as a maintenance treatment for multiple myeloma. Initial results from a new trial showed that it delayed disease progression in patients who had had stem cell transplants, Reuters reports. Currently the drug is FDA-approved for use…

The conflicts-of-interest police have turned their attention to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report saying that CDC did a poor job of screening its medical experts for financial conflicts when it engaged them for…

Genzyme CEO Henri Termeer ( photo )

Some European customers are negotiating to return millions of unused doses of H1N1 vaccine

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has made sure that Merck’s Singulair team enjoys its weekend. The PTO reversed its tentative rejection of key claims in the company’s patent for the blockbuster allergy and asthma treatment. And the patent regulator says it’s

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group, it has entered into an exclusive, world-wide licensing agreement with Syntiron to develop and commercialize its prophylactic vaccine against Staphylococcus, including Methicillin-Resistant Stapyhylococcus aureus or MRSA.

Original Source of Sanofi Pasteur to Develop & Commercialize Vaccine to Prevent Staphylococcus infections

Johnson & Johnson, in the latest of a string of significant deals this year, said it would pay $785 million in cash to acquire privately held Acclarent and its sinus-surgery technology. Report

Original Source of J&J agrees to pay $785M for surgery tech firm

With Big Pharma looking to China for big growth, homegrown companies seem poised to expand as well. At least that’s the conclusion analysts at Morgan Stanley have made, citing the country’s ongoing healthcare reform. Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the entire Chinese pharma industry to “attractive” from “in-line,”…