The lowdown: All eyes have been on the FDA's Advisory Committee meetings for two drugs for diabetes: Exubera (insulin (rDNA origin) powder for oral inhalation; Pfizer), and Pargluva (muraglitazar; Bristol-Myers Squibb). But whereas in previous years this attention might have been fostered by the novelty of the drugs or their potential for blockbuster status, these meetings were keenly anticipated for another reason: to see whether the committees would get tougher on risks in light of recent controversies over drug safety. Each drug presented a cause for concern. Around 1.5% of patients using Exubera, the first inhaled form of insulin, experienced a deterioration in lung capacity, although Pfizer argued that the declines didn't worsen over time. Pargluva, a dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist, had been linked to oedema, which can lead to congestive heart failure. But in the end the panel voted 7–2 in favour of Exubera, and Pargluva was recommended for use with metformin and as monotherapy, but not for combination use with a sulphonylurea.
The lowdown: Large pharmaceutical companies are realizing the financial potential in vaccines, driven mainly by the current fear of flu pandemics. GlaxoSmithKline made a US$1.4-billion agreed bid for ID Biomedical, a Canada-based biotechnology company developing vaccines, and has purchased a vaccine research and production facility from Wyeth for around US $100 million. Novartis is trying to acquire the 58% of shares in Chiron that it doesn't already own. Although Chiron has rejected the bid, it is widely thought that Novartis will up its offer. Chiron will be the second-largest supplier of flu vaccine this season, producing up to 26 million doses, compared with 8 million doses of GSK's Fluarix vaccine. GSK expects to double its flu vaccine business by 2008, and it predicts that the flu vaccine market will double in size to US $3.6 billion by 2010.
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