Branded

DARMSTADT, Germany — Merck KGaA division Merck Serono has appointed Belen Garijo as COO and Annalisa Jenkins as global head of drug development and medical, effective Sept. 5.

The company, which operates under the name "EMD" in the United States and is a separate company from U.S.-based Merck, said Garijo and Jenkins will be based in Geneva and will report to president Stefan Oschmann.

Garijo previously worked for Sanofi, where he was SVP global operations for the European region, while Jenkins was SVP global medical for Bristol-Myers Squibb.

SAN DIEGO — Patients with Type 1 diabetes using an insulin product made by MannKind expressed a better opinion about insulin therapy than those taking the standard treatment, according to a study presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 71st Scientific Sessions.

MannKind said that patients taking the investigational inhaled insulin Afrezza (insulin human [rDNA origin]) with basal insulin came to view insulin therapy more positively during the 16-week study than those taking Eli Lilly’s injected Humalog (insulin lispro [rDNA origin]) with basal insulin.

SAN DIEGO — A once-monthly formulation of a drug made by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Alkermes improved glucose control in patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to results of a mid-stage clinical trial presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 71st Scientific Sessions.

The three companies said once-monthly injections of the drug exenatide improved blood-sugar control and produced modest weight loss in the 121-patient phase-2 study.

NEW YORK — Pfizer defended a drug used for smoking cessation Monday following reports of a Canadian study that found it raised the risk of heart problems.

The 8,216-patient study of Chantix (varenicline), published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that of the 4,908 patients who received Chantix, 52 had an increased risk of serious heart problems, with similar risks appearing in 27-of-the-3,308 patients who took placebo.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — APP Pharmaceuticals has received regulatory approval for the treatment of a complication related to hypothyroidism.

APP said that its levothyroxine sodium for injection will be marketed in single-dose 100-mcg, 200-mcg and 500-mcg vials. The drug is designed to treat myxedema coma, a life-threatening complication of hypothyroidism.

RARITAN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Johnson & Johnson for treating deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery, a J&J subsidiary said Friday.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced the approval of Xarelto (rivaroxaban) tablets as a once-daily oral anticoagulant for DVT, a condition that could lead to pulmonary embolism.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — As part of a strategic assessment, generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical is set to restructure its branded division.

The company said last week that its restructuring of Strativa Pharmaceuticals will result in a reduced workforce, prompting one-time noncash charges in the second quarter in addition to severance costs, although Par said the restructuring will generate expense savings in the $8 to $12 million range for the remainder of the year.

INDIANAPOLIS — Eli Lilly's SVP global quality has joined the drug maker's executive committee, effective July 1.

Fionnuala Walsh, who joined Lilly in 1988, will continue in her current role at Lilly, where she ensures the company maintains high-quality standards across its worldwide operations.

Walsh reports to company chairman, president and CEO John Lechleiter.