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FRAZER, Pa. — Cephalon has lodged a bidder’s statement to acquire Australian drug maker ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals for $167 million, Cephalon said Wednesday.

Cephalon, which said its offer of 70 Australian cents per share represented a premium of nearly 60% over ChemGenex’s stock price as of March 29, said the Australian company’s directors had unanimously recommended approval of the acquisition. ChemGenex specializes in developing treatments for cancer.

NEW YORK — A Food and Drug Administration expert panel has given a favorable vote to a drug made by Pfizer for tumors, Pfizer said Tuesday.

The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 8-2 that Sutent’s (sunitinib malate) benefits outweigh its risks in the treatment of unresectable pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

While the FDA is not bound by advisory committee votes, it takes them into consideration when deciding whether or not to approve a drug.

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application for a topical treatment for low testosterone made by Teva Pharmaceuticals and BioSante Pharmaceuticals, BioSante said Wednesday.

The two companies said the FDA had accepted their application for Bio-T-Gel and expected to complete its review by mid-November.

ST. LOUIS — The road to waste reduction is paved with good intentions.

That’s the conclusion of pharmacy benefit manager Express Script’s "2010 Drug Trend Report," which found that 33% of annual pharmacy-related waste can be eliminated by encouraging patients to improve common behaviors linked to their prescription drugs by harnessing their good intentions.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Darren Singer, a 25-year GlaxoSmithKline veteran, has been named Safeway's SVP pharmacy, health and wellness, the retailer announced.

Singer will be responsible for retail pharmacy operations, specialty care, pharmacy services, compliance, benefit management and managed care for Safeway. He will report to Safeway's merchandising president, Kelly Griffith.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment made by Merck for treating skin cancer, Merck said Monday.

Merck announced the approval of Sylatron (peginterferon alfa-2b) as an add-on treatment for treating melanoma with microscopic of gross nodal involvement within 84 days of surgery.

JERUSALEM — An investigational drug made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Active Biotech for multiple sclerosis reduced disease relapses and prevented the progression of disability, according to late-stage clinical trial results announced Monday.

PARIS — Genzyme now officially is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sanofi-Aventis.

The Paris-based drug maker said that the closing followed the completion of the exchange offer for drug maker Genzyme last week. As its subsidiary, Genzyme will become a new platform in Sanofi's sustainable growth strategy and expand the company's presence in biotechnology, Sanofi said. Genzyme will continue to operate out of its Cambridge, Mass., headquarters, and will be led by Sanofi CEO Christopher Viehbacher for several months.